Rabies vaccine stockpile: fixing the supply chain

Overview

Human rabies vaccine is not included in the routine vaccines covered by the expanded programme on immunization. Many countries therefore have difficulty measuring and forecasting demand for rabies vaccine. A lack of good data causes procurement delays and stock shortages. In desperation, countries may source vaccines from manufacturers that do not have WHO prequalification, buying vaccines at inflated prices and without the quality assurance that prequalification brings.

To provide a reliable source of vaccines for countries facing these difficulties in procurement, WHO is planning to create a human rabies vaccine stockpile to match the dog rabies vaccine bank established by OIE.

By the end of 2017, countries will be able to rapidly obtain quality-assured vaccines. As has happened with other vaccine stockpiles, this mechanism will generate a demand and supply cycle that can be reliably quantified. By drawing on WHO’s stockpile, countries will contribute to stabilizing demand for manufacturers. In aggregating global requirements, WHO will be able to broker reliable supplies and assist countries in forecasting their needs.