The role of non-governmental organizations in vaccine development and delivery

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to define the role non-governmental organizations (NGOs) play across the vaccine development and delivery spectrum within the vaccine enterprise. As demonstrated in this paper, NGOs can play a critical role in prioritizing and accelerating the development and introduction of new vaccines against diseases that disproportionally burden children, women, and communities in the poorest countries around the world.

Design/methodology/approach

The author has used case studies from decades of work by PATH, an international NGO, to help develop and implement vaccines, to illustrate the roles of NGOs can play during each of the stages along the development and delivery spectrum.

Findings

There are four key considerations that can help determine the ability of a given vaccine to be introduced and scaled within a health system: accessibility, affordability, acceptability, and availability. As more vaccine candidates are identified and move along the development and delivery pathway, there will be increased demand for NGOs to continue playing a pivotal role to address these considerations.

Originality/value

This paper aims to highlight a few of the lessons learned from PATH's four decades of experience in the hope they will contribute and be applied to the evolving environment of vaccine enterprise.

Citation

Walton, J. (2017), "The role of non-governmental organizations in vaccine development and delivery", International Journal of Health Governance, Vol. 22 No. 3, pp. 152-160. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJHG-02-2017-0006