Consultation on interactions between National Regulatory Authorities and National Immunization Technical Advisory Groups

Article from the “Expert Review of Vaccines”, September 2011, Vol. 10, No. 9 , Pages 1265-1270. A consultation during the Developing Country Vaccine Regulators’ Network meeting of May 2010 considered the interactions between the National Immunization Technical Advisory Group (NITAG) and the National Regulatory Authority (NRA) in various countries. This meeting was co-hosted by the WHO and the Supporting Independent Immunization and Vaccine Advisory Committees Initiative implemented by the Agence de Médecine Préventive in partnership with the International Vaccine Institute. Representatives from Developing Country Vaccine Regulators’ Network and representatives from several additional countries’ regulatory authorities met representatives from NITAGs and/or the National Immunization Program from these countries (Brazil, Canada, China, Cuba, France, Indonesia, Iran, South Africa, Thailand, Vietnam and the USA). The objectives of the workshop included a discussion on the issues of NRA–NITAG interaction, the assessment of the advantages of different models of interaction and proposals for an optimal coordination process for market authorization and recommendations for use of vaccines. It was concluded that there is need for increased and more formal interactions between NRAs and NITAGs, a clear framework establishing a formal interaction and early interactions before market authorization. NRA experts being at the same time NITAG ex officio members and vice versa are solutions which can be adopted by countries. The NRA issues the license based on the evidence submitted by the manufacturer. The NITAG makes recommendations based on scientific evidence, public health needs and policy, and consideration of the license conditions. If there is a need to make recommendations that are not covered by the license evidence then there should be interactions between NITAG, NRA and the license holder to encourage the license-holder to submit appropriate evidence, or to ensure that the justification for the off-label recommendation is communicated to the users of the medicine.