Vizient launches online vaccine resource center for hospitals
Vizient, Inc. announced its launch of the Vizient Vaccine Resource Center, an online aggregation of information on COVID-19 vaccine developments.
With a central location for the latest news of the quickly changing vaccine landscape, hospitals now have access to a COVID-19 vaccine tracker for development status updates, clinical information, data on each vaccine candidate, and readiness assessment tools to more effectively plan for providing COVID vaccinations as well as flu and other immunizations.
“The Vaccine Resource Center came out of the work of the Vizient COVID-19 vaccine task force, a group that represents both pharmacy and supply chain experts,” said Azra Behlim, PharmD, senior director, Pharmacy Sourcing & Program Services for Vizient. “It's likely there will be more than one COVID vaccine approved under an emergency use authorization (EUA) and they are not all manufactured with the same platform. Each vaccine candidate in development uses a different vaccine technology, which makes them clinically different. They also have different refrigeration and dosing requirements. All of these factors must be considered as hospitals plan to vaccinate their employees and their communities.”
The Vaccine Resource Center includes:
· Vaccine development tracker: Updated weekly, the tracker provides a list of manufacturers working to create a COVID-19 vaccine and their most recent status updates.
· Vaccine candidate comparison: Updated bi-weekly, this side-by-side comparison offers an in-depth clinical look at top COVID-19 vaccine candidates, including the technology behind each vaccine as well as dosage and clinical trial details.
· Vaccine assessment checklist: Considerations to help hospitals determine their level of preparedness to administer the COVID-19 vaccine.
· Additional links to key resources hospitals need as part of their readiness planning.
“If each vaccine candidate continues along on their current track, without any lengthy pauses to their clinical trials caused by adverse outcomes to participants, the Food and Drug Administration could approve their use under an emergency use authorization in the first quarter of 2021 or earlier,” said Behlim. “Hospitals need to prepare now so they can be part of the vaccination effort in their communities. The information on the Vaccine Resource Center will help them make those strategic decisions.”
