This document provides a brief overview of the Optimize project’s strategy for developing delivery systems that are as advanced and innovative as the vaccines they support. Project Optimize, a collaboration between the World Health Organization and PATH, has been given a unique mandate to think far into the future: to put technological and scientific advances to work, helping define the ideal characteristics and specifications for health products; and to create a vaccine supply chain that is flexible and robust enough to handle an increasingly large and costly portfolio of vaccines.

Publication date: October 2009

Region: Global

This report presents the results of demonstration projects and other activities undertaken in Albania as part of a partnership between project Optimize (a collaboration between the World Health Organization and PATH) and the Albanian Institute of Public Health. The partnership aimed to demonstrate innovations, such as an online immunization registry and remote alarm system in the cold chain, that can help meet the demands of an increasingly large and costly portfolio of vaccines.

Author: Bino S, Nelaj E, Mesi A, Grevendonk J

Publication date: January 2013

Region: Global

Part of series: Project Optimize country reports

Project Optimize, a collaboration between the World Health Organization and PATH, has been given a unique mandate to think far into the future: to put technological and scientific advances to work, helping define the ideal characteristics and specifications for health products; and to create a vaccine supply chain that is flexible and robust enough to handle an increasingly large and costly portfolio of vaccines. This brochure provides an overview of Optimize's areas of focus and activities.

Publication date: August 2009

Region: Global

This report presents the results of demonstration projects and other activities undertaken in Senegal from 2009 to 2012 as part of a partnership between project Optimize (a collaboration between the World Health Organization and PATH) and the Senegalese Ministry of Health. The activities aimed to demonstrate innovations in the supply chain that can help meet the demands of an increasingly large and costly portfolio of vaccines.

Publication date: February 2013

Region: Africa

Part of series: Project Optimize country reports

This report presents the results and findings of three demonstration projects undertaken in Tunisia as part of a partnership between project Optimize and the Tunisian Ministry of Health. Between 2009 and 2012, the partnership aimed to demonstrate innovations in the supply chain that can help the national immunization program meet the demands of an increasingly large and costly portfolio of vaccines.

Publication date: April 2013

Region: Africa

Part of series: Project Optimize country reports

This report presents the results of demonstration projects and other activities undertaken in Vietnam as part of a partnership between project Optimize (a collaboration between the World Health Organization and PATH) and Vietnam’s Ministry of Health. The activities aimed to demonstrate innovations in the supply chain that can help meet the demands of an increasingly large and costly portfolio of vaccines. For a summary of Optimize’s activities conducted with Vietnam’s National Expanded Program on Immunization, see Summary of Optimize Activities Conducted With Vietnam's National Expanded Programme on Immunization.

Publication date: January 2013

Region: Asia

Part of series: Project Optimize country reports

Facilitated by project Optimize, a World Health Organization and PATH collaboration, this review was conducted in the Western Cape of South Africa whereby the Biovac Institute (a third-party, private-sector company) took over the roles of vaccine procurement, warehouse management, inventory management, and vaccine distribution directly to health centers.

Author: Lydon P

Publication date: October 2011

Region: Africa

This project Optimize document provides supply chain managers in low- and middle-income countries with an overview of the potential benefits of outsourcing components of their vaccine logistics systems to the private sector. It also provides practical advice on determining whether outsourcing is a viable option.

Publication date: September 2012

Region: Global

This fact sheet outlines the different approaches that project Optimize, a World Health Organization and PATH collaboration, is testing to demonstrate that a consumption‐based system that uses service-delivery-level data can have a beneficial impact on inventory management, stock levels, and vaccine wastage.

Publication date: July 2012

Region: Global

This document is part of a series that describes the serious risk of freezing vaccines and provides tools to reduce freezing in the cold chain. The materials contain current WHO-recommended freeze-prevention strategies targeted toward all levels of storage and transport of vaccines.

Publication date: 2003

Region: Global

As part of the project Optimize traveling exhibit—an exhibit featuring supply chain innovations being developed and tested in different countries around the world—this banner emphasizes the importance of, and methods for, preventing accidental freezing of heat-sensitive products in vaccine carriers. It illustrates how different configurations of ice packs affect temperature and shows typical temperature readings of vaccine carriers containing frozen ice packs, conditioned ice packs, cool water packs, and no ice.

Publication date: April 2013

Region: Global

Part of series: Supply Systems for Today and Tomorrow: Project Optimize traveling exhibit

This zipped set of materials includes background information on the freezing problem (two literature reviews and a PowerPoint presentation), posters and stickers ready for use in the vaccine store and clinic, and a sample protocol for a vaccine freeze study and the results of a study in Indonesia.

Publication date: 2003

Region: Global

This case profile of the vaccine vial monitor (VVM) is the first in a series of profiles intended to illustrate the product introduction process.

Author: Kristensen D; Burns M

Publication date: 2007

Region: Global

This overview describes how PATH has developed a low-cost and straightforward technology for protecting aluminum-adjuvanted liquid vaccines from the irreversible damage that results from freezing. Many current vaccines of importance to global health contain an aluminum salt adjuvant or its equivalent (such as aluminum hydroxide, aluminum phosphate, or calcium phosphate) and would benefit from the technology.

Publication date: October 2012

Region: Global

This document is part of a series that describes the serious risk of freezing vaccines and provides tools to reduce freezing in the cold chain. The materials contain current WHO-recommended freeze-prevention strategies targeted toward all levels of storage and transport of vaccines.

Publication date: 2003

Region: Global

This policy report highlights the essential role that public-private partnerships play in driving global health product development and offers insights into the key components of successful multi-sector partnerships led by PATH.

Publication date: March 2013

Region: Global

The Optimize project, a collaboration between PATH and the World Health Organization, commissioned this white paper to examine the issues influencing vaccine producer willingness to advance, adopt, and commercialize value-added technologies for vaccines for low-income and lower-middle-income country markets.

Author: Gilchrist S

Publication date: November 2009

Region: Global

This four-page brochure tells the story of the Uniject device--how it grew from a concept to an easy-to-use, all-in-one injection device that will be used to vaccinate every newborn in Indonesia against hepatitis B and to help eliminate maternal and neonatal tetanus globally. The publication covers the development, evaluation, licensing, production, and design and function of Uniject. Photographs and a timeline of Uniject's history included.

Author: E.Simpson

Publication date: 2003

Region: Global

Part of the Technology Updates series, this fact sheet describes PATH's work on single-dose, prefilled reconstitution devices (SPRDs). SPRDs can make reconstitution of critical vaccines safer and more economical and can help eliminate adverse events or wastage that can occur with improper reconstitution, which also reduces impact on the medical waste disposal system.

Publication date: May 2012

Region: Global

Part of series: Technology Updates

Project Optimize, a collaboration between the World Health Organization and PATH, aims to provide national immunization programs with recommendations to build integrated health supply systems, including strategic linkages with the parastatal and private sector. Ultimately, integration will allow public health programs to reduce uncertainties and risks, achieve economies of scale, shorten delivery lead times, improve procurement, provide better incentives for health workers, and improve quality of service to clients.

Publication date: July 2012

Region: Global