Zooey Meznarich

Thesis Advisor:  Dr. Susan E. Martonosi  (Harvey Mudd College - Department of Mathematics)

Second Reader:  Dr. Ruben Proano  (Rochester Institute of Technology - Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering)

Contact:  zmeznarich@hmc.edu

Procurement of Multivalent Pediatric Vaccines for Low-Income Countries

The Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (Gavi) is an organization that mediates the pricing and procurement of vaccine products, and facilitates the transfer of technology. Their work with UNICEF supports low-income countries by improving access to pediatric vaccines. Multivalent vaccines, which inoculate against multiple diseases, improve efficiency of immunization. However, the production of multivalent vaccines is often limited, as is the case for the hexavalent (6-antigen) pediatric vaccine. Because Gavi negotiates large contracts on behalf of many countries, they have the ability to incentivize more manufacturers to produce hexavalent. This work falls in line with UNICEF’s Polio Eradication Initiative, with the goal of also phasing out the Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV) by 2027. Existing models of vaccine markets with price negotiations between external organizations and private manufacturers are adapted and applied to the international vaccine market. Mathematical programming tools are used to examine relevant manufacturers within the global vaccine market, while incentivizing the production of hexavalent (and multivalent) vaccines. As a result, relationships among manufacturer capacity, demand projections, and price provide insight into future policy recommendations and feasibility.