1、White PaperTip of the Iceberg:Economic and Environmental Impact of the Vaccine Cold ChainWhite paper commissioned by StablepharmaSTEFAN LUTZMAYER,Senior Consultant,EMEA Thought Leadership,IQVIA ELINA OSOIANU,Consultant,Strategy Consulting,IQVIATOM ROSENFELD,Business Development Manager,StablepharmaT

2、able of contentsIntroduction 1Hidden difficulties in cold chain management 1Temperature excursions 2Implications of cold chain failure 3Towards sustainable solutions 3Methodology 5Transportation 6Storage 7Wastage 7Environmental impact calculation 8Estimating economic and environmental impact of vacc

3、ine administration in Europe 8Results 8The cold chain has a significant economic impact 8Economic cost comparison of cold chain vs.thermostable vaccines 9Cold chain vaccine cost comparison for different vaccine types 11Environmental impact 12Conclusion 13References 14About the authors 16 |1Strict te

4、mperature control is crucial,as most vaccines contain toxoid-based protein antigens that require precise structural integrity to elicit an effective immune response.Exposure to elevated temperatures can cause these proteins to unfold,aggregate,and degrade4,whereas freezing temperatures can result in

5、 the formation of ice crystals5,disrupting the protein structure and leading to irreversible denaturation.Beyond antigen stability,adjuvants such as aluminium salts play a key role in enhancing immune responses by promoting antigen-presenting cells activation and proliferation.Storage outside the sp

6、ecific temperature recommendations(typically 2-8C)can drastically alter the physicochemical properties of an adjuvant,resulting in a loss of immunogenicity and rendering vaccines sub-potent.Vaccines constitute a substantial portion of the global cold chain volume,with approximately five billion dose