Activity

Evaluation of Vaccine Purchase Financing in the United States

Type:

Consensus Study

Topic(s):

Health Care Workforce, Health Services, Coverage, and Access, Public Health, Select Populations and Health Disparities

Board(s):

Board on Health Care Services

Activity Description

The National Immunization Program of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention commissioned the IOM to address issues and concerns over the pricing of vaccines and the addition of new vaccine products to the recommended immunization schedule, as well as the state of the nation's vaccine supply. This  study on vaccine finance drew from earlier IOM projects, particularly the 2000 IOM report Calling the Shots.

The purpose of this study was to identify financial strategies that were designed to achieve an appropriate balance of roles and responsibilities in the public and private health sectors, integrate federal and state roles in supporting the purchase and administration of recommended vaccines for vulnerable populations, and develop a framework for identifying pricing strategies that would contribute to achieving current and future national immunization goals for children and adults.

The study developed recommendations to guide federal, state, and congressional decision-making with respect to the purchase of vaccines for the general population, especially underserved groups. The Committee created a plan that could assure an adequate supply of current vaccines and also provide incentives for the development of new vaccine products. The Committee reviewed factors that influenced pricing trends in the vaccine industry, identified health coverage disparities and levels of need that affected access to vaccines in the child and adult populations, and considered the effects of regulatory and licensing procedures on vaccine pricing and vaccine delivery patterns.