PURPOSE: This workshop will utilize Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) to compare the holistic value of different COVID-19 vaccines from the perspective of Emerging Markets, looking beyond clinical efficacy and safety to consider other factors such as societal value, affordability, storage / distribution requirements to evaluate which vaccine candidates bring most value to developing countries.

DESCRIPTION: As of DEC 2020, four COVID-19 vaccines have received authorization for emergency use in some countries and several other vaccine candidates have reached late-stage trials, which may be an effective tool to manage the coronavirus pandemic by reducing the spread of COVID-19. However, budgetary constraints and challenges in storage and distribution cloud the outlook for many low-to-middle income economies, raising concerns around equitable access. In this workshop, MCDA will be used to compare the holistic value of late-stage vaccine candidates from the perspective of low-to-middle income economies. Results from this analysis can inform prioritization of vaccine candidates by agencies (governments, COVAXX) looking to procure COVID-19 vaccines for developing countries.

An overview of the EVIDEM MCDA framework will be provided at the start of the session and the audience will use a real-time polling application to vote on the weight that should be given to different domains and criteria of the EVIDEM MCDA framework to make it applicable for COVID-19 vaccines in the context of developing countries. Then, speakers will conduct a comprehensive comparison of COVID-19 vaccines across different criteria (efficacy, safety, # shots, storage / distribution requirements). The audience will then use a real-time polling application to vote on the value that the different vaccine candidates offer as interventions for COVID-19 immunization.

Speakers will close the session by presenting the results from the comparative MCDA for COVID-19 vaccines, contextualizing the implications for decision-makers in low-to-middle income countries, and opening up the floor for questions from the audience.