MoH and Sanofi partner to advance lifelong vaccination nationwide

According to the Vietnam Administration of Disease Prevention, in the 40 years of organising and implementing the National Expanded Programme on Immunisation since 1985, Vietnam has achieved several impressive accomplishments, with immunisation being considered a highlight in disease prevention efforts.

To date, the vaccination rate for essential vaccines for children under one year old has consistently remained high, above 95 per cent. As a result, polio was eradicated in 2000, neonatal tetanus was eliminated in 2005, and the incidence and mortality rates of diseases such as measles, whooping cough, and diphtheria have decreased tens to hundreds of times.

Photo: Sanofi

According to the roadmap approved by the government in Resolution No.104/NQ-CP from 2022, new vaccines will be added to the expanded immunisation drive from 2025 to 2030. The increase in important vaccines for different age groups is expected to contribute positively to improving public health and effective disease prevention.

In the context of an ageing population, life-course immunisation is being assessed as one of the crucial healthcare strategies to protect individual and community health. The Life-course Immunisation in Vietnam Report 2024 by KPMG emphasises that providing and promoting immunisation for people of all ages throughout their lives also helps reduce the pressure on the healthcare system and alleviates the economic and social burden of preventable diseases.

Life-course immunisation offers specific economic and social benefits. According to the US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), every $1 invested in immunisation programmes in low- and middle-income countries saves $52 for the healthcare system.

Within the region, many countries have also implemented various initiatives and policies to promote life-course immunisation. Examples include extending free influenza vaccines to the elderly and pregnant women in South Korea, the Philippines, and Malaysia; vaccine co-payment systems in Singapore, Australia, and Malaysia; and public-private partnerships with vaccine suppliers in India and Indonesia.

The Vietnam Administration of Disease and Sanofi-Aventis Vietnam Co., Ltd. will collaborate on various activities over the next three years (2025-2027). Their goal is to enhance the capacity of the healthcare system and improve community communication on disease prevention by promoting life-course immunisation efforts across Vietnam.

Under the MoU, Sanofi will collaborate with Vietnam's disease prevention authority across three primary areas: conducting policy reviews and providing recommendations regarding national vaccine programmes; advancing lifelong vaccination initiatives through updated Ministry of Health (MoF) guidelines; and implementing targeted public awareness campaigns about essential and next-generation vaccines for disease prevention across all age groups.

Photo: Sanofi

Zainab Sadat Qayyum, general manager Southeast Asia and India, Vaccines, Sanofi stated, "Sanofi is honoured to partner with the Vietnam Administration of Disease Prevention and the MoH on this journey to develop policies for life-course immunisation, building a robust and proactive preventive healthcare system ready for any public health challenges. We are committed to providing resources and sharing our experience in vaccine immunisation, contributing to an improved quality of life for the people of Vietnam."

Ngo Chi Dung, General Director and Chairman of the Board of Directors of VNVC and Ms. Zainab Sadat Qayyum, President of Sanofi Southeast Asia - India, exchanged the cooperation agreement document in the presence of President Luong Cuong and French President Emmanuel Macron. Photo: Sanofi

Sanofi also signed a technology transfer agreement for the production of several vaccines with Vietnam Vaccine Joint Stock Company (VNVC) on May 26. The event, witnessed by State President Luong Cuong and French President Emmanuel Macron, highlighted Sanofi's commitment to life-course immunisation and contributing to Vietnam's goal of national vaccine self-sufficiency.

Sanofi's vaccine division has been active for over 100 years globally, contributing to public health improvement through immunisation solutions that prevent infectious diseases. The group currently leads the industry with a comprehensive portfolio of vaccines, ranging from those preventing cholera and diphtheria to vaccines against diseases caused by Haemophilus influenzae type b, polio, whooping cough, tetanus, hepatitis A and B, meningococcal disease, and the common flu.

The groundbreaking of the VNVC vaccine and biological products factory on May 27. Photo: Sanofi

Each year, Sanofi provides over one billion doses of high-quality vaccines to users worldwide. This contributes to protecting more than half a billion people globally annually, including approximately 3-4 million people in Vietnam.

Zuellig Pharma lends a hand to expand immunisation in Vietnam In anticipation of growing vaccination demand, many multinational corporations are supporting community-based public health programmes in Vietnam as a way to expand sustainably across the country.

Four more vaccines to be included in Expanded Immunisation Programme Vietnam will use four more vaccines in the Expanded Immunisation Programme for the 2021-2030 period under Resolution No.104 of the Government on the roadmap to increase the diversity of vaccines in the programme signed by Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam on August 15.

New vaccines to be added to expanded programme on immunisation Many new kinds of vaccines will be included in the national expanded programme on immunisation (EPI) in the coming time, said Dr. Dang Thanh Huyen, deputy head of the EPI Office under the Ministry of Health, on July 10.