Iran studies applying WHO New Vaccine Introduction Prioritization and Sequencing Toolkit

Iran studies applying WHO New Vaccine Introduction Prioritization and Sequencing Toolkit

TEHRAN – The health ministry and the National Immunization Technical Advisory Group (NITAG), with technical support from the World Health Organization (WHO) Country Office, have carried out a study applying WHO New Vaccine Introduction Prioritization and Sequencing Toolkit (NVI-PST) to help establish a transparent, evidence-based roadmap for introducing new vaccines over 2025–2030.

NVI-PST helps countries make transparent, evidence-based decisions about which new vaccines to introduce and in what order. It provides a structured, multicriteria decision-making framework that guides NITAGs through a step-by-step process of (1) identifying candidate vaccines, (2) selecting and weighting assessment criteria, (3) collecting and synthesising relevant evidence, and (4) ranking and sequencing vaccines based on importance and feasibility.

Iran’s immunisation program has long performed strongly, with near-universal Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) coverage and recent introductions of pneumococcal and rotavirus vaccines. Yet life-course vaccination is not fully embedded, creating gaps for adolescents and adults. The WHO NVI-PST offers a structured, transparent way to assess candidates and sequence introductions in line with national goals and programme capacity.

Accordingly, the study focused on prioritizing seven vaccines, including Human papillomavirus vaccine (HPV), pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) for high-risk adults, seasonal influenza, acellular pertussis (aP) vaccine, hexavalent vaccine, Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and varicella (chickenpox) vaccines, documenting both the benefits and the implementation challenges encountered during the process, ISNA reported.

The process was nationally led, adapted to context and implemented through two workshops that finalised 17 criteria, compiled comprehensive evidence dossiers, scored vaccine candidates on importance and feasibility, and then developed priority tiers and sequencing scenarios.

The 17 criteria included the significance of the disease—such as mortality rates, incidence, long-term complications, and vaccine efficacy—and some others assessed the feasibility of program implementation, encompassing vaccine cost, the capacity to ensure a stable supply, compatibility with the national vaccination program, and the procurement of financial resources.

The hexavalent vaccine had been approved by Iran’s NITAG prior to the start of this project, but had not yet been implemented; it was later excluded from the implementation framework due to its ongoing national rollout.

The two proposed sequencing scenarios, in terms of importance and feasibility, placed HPV first, with either PCV or influenza third after the already-approved hexavalent vaccine. Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and varicella vaccines were classified as low priority for the 5-year horizon.

Iran following developed countries in national vaccination program

The national vaccination program in Iran includes 13 vaccines, and the country is following developed countries with an average of 17 vaccines in their national vaccination programs, Mostafa Qanei, the secretary general of the Biotechnology Development Headquarters, said in January.

Knowledge-based companies are operating to produce the four vaccines that are not included in the national vaccination program, he added.

Uterus, influenza, meningococcus, and pneumococcal conjugate are the four vaccines that have not been produced domestically.

In May, the health ministry started distributing domestically made pentavalent vaccines across the country.

“So far, about 800,000 units of the vaccine have been developed, and this number is expected to reach 1.2 million units in the next 2 to 3 days,” IRNA quoted Mehdi Pirsalehi, head of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), as saying on May 5, 2025.

The pentavalent vaccine was integrated into the national vaccination programme in November 2014. According to the national vaccination program, each child must receive the pentavalent vaccine 3 times at intervals of 2 months. The first is usually at the end of the second month of life.

The vaccination program to combat pneumococcal and rotavirus kicked off in the country in February 2024 after being omitted from the immunization schedule for a decade.

According to the deputy health minister, Alireza Raeisi, children can get free pneumococcal and rotavirus vaccinations in all medical centers across the country.

Pneumococcal vaccine can be injected when babies are 2, 4, and 12 months old; babies can get three doses of the rotavirus vaccine at the 2nd, 4th, and 6th months of life. The vaccine is administered by putting drops in the child’s mouth.

Rotavirus and pneumococcal vaccines were added to the national immunization program in 2024.

The measles vaccination program in Iran started in 1984 when 34 percent of the population was vaccinated in the first year and 90 to 95 percent of the population after 6 years. Also in 2003, 33 million people were vaccinated with a national program to eradicate measles in the country.

MT/MG

source: tehrantimes.com