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International Vaccine Institute
International Vaccine Institute logo.svg
Abbreviation IVI
Formation October 9, 1997
Founder United Nations Development Programme
Type International organization
Purpose Discover, develop, and deliver safe, effective, and affordable vaccines for global public health.
Headquarters Seoul, Republic of Korea
Membership
 39 member states and the World Health Organization
Director General
 Jerome Kim, M.D.
Budget
 US$27 million(2017)
Staff
 210

The International Vaccine Institute (IVI) is a special group that works to make vaccines available and affordable for everyone. They are a non-profit organization, meaning they don't aim to make money. IVI works with scientists, health groups, governments, and companies around the world.

Their work covers everything about vaccines. This includes creating new vaccine ideas in labs and testing them in real-world settings. They also help make sure vaccines get to the places where they are needed most.

IVI started as an idea from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). In 1997, it became its own independent international organization. Its main office is in Seoul, Republic of Korea. Currently, 39 countries are members of IVI, along with the World Health Organization (WHO). IVI focuses especially on finding and delivering vaccines for people in developing countries. They pay special attention to diseases that are often forgotten in these areas.

How IVI Started

The Early Days

In 1992, a health advisor named Dr. Seung-Il Shin from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) had an idea. He wanted to see if an international group could be set up to research and develop vaccines. This idea was part of a bigger plan called the Children's Vaccine Initiative.

Based on Dr. Shin's study, the UNDP decided in 1993 to create the International Vaccine Institute (IVI). In 1994, after looking at different places in Asia to host IVI, the UNDP and South Korea agreed to set up the main office in Seoul. An early IVI office opened in 1995 at Seoul National University. This is where IVI began its first work and started to grow.

Establishment Agreement Signing
Signing of the IVI Establishment Agreement

Becoming an Independent Organization

Between 1995 and 1996, the UNDP and the South Korean government worked together. They created the basic rules and structure for IVI. To make IVI a truly independent international organization, they decided to set it up through an agreement between different countries. This was allowed by international law.

On October 28, 1996, countries started signing the IVI Establishment Agreement at the Headquarters of the United Nations in New York City. The first countries to sign included Bangladesh, Bhutan, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, the Netherlands, Panama, Republic of Korea, Romania, Thailand, Vietnam, Uzbekistan, and the WHO. Soon after, Senegal and Philippines also signed.

In 1997, more countries joined. These included Brazil, China, Egypt, Israel, Jamaica, Kyrgyzstan, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Tajikistan, and Turkey.

The agreement officially started on May 29, 1997. This happened after South Korea, Sweden, and Uzbekistan formally approved it.

On September 24, 1998, another important agreement was signed in South Korea. This was the Headquarters Agreement. It made IVI a legal organization with special diplomatic protection in South Korea. This made IVI the first international organization to have its main office in South Korea. In 1998, IVI officially became separate from the UNDP.

IVI Building (1)
IVI Headquarters

The IVI Headquarters Building

The main IVI building is located in Seoul National University's Research Park in Seoul, South Korea. It was designed by architects from South Korea and the US. Building started in 1998 and finished in 2003.

The building has laboratories for research, animal facilities, offices, an auditorium, and a library. There was also a plan for a separate facility to make small batches of test vaccines. However, this part was never finished because there wasn't enough money.

What IVI Does

Fighting Diseases in Poor Countries (DOMI)

IVI's first big project was called "Diseases of the Most Impoverished" (DOMI). This program ran from 2000 to 2006. Its goal was to quickly introduce new vaccines against typhoid fever, cholera, and shigellosis. These vaccines were meant for poor people in developing countries.

The DOMI program carried out vaccination campaigns and studied diseases. They did this in countries like Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Mozambique, Pakistan, Thailand, and Vietnam. At the end of the program, IVI gathered all the information they learned. This helped leaders in these countries make smart choices about using vaccines. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation gave a lot of money (US$40 million) to support the DOMI program.

DOMI Typhoid Project

The DOMI Typhoid project aimed to make typhoid vaccines more available. It also wanted to speed up the use of modern typhoid vaccines in countries that needed them. The project used a vaccine called Vi-Polysaccharide (Vi-PS). This vaccine is easy and cheap to make. It also only needs one shot and stays good even in warm weather.

DOMI Typhoid worked in five places: Hechi, China; Kolkata, India; North Jakarta, Indonesia; Karachi, Pakistan; and Hue, Vietnam. Experts from IVI studied the disease and how much it cost people. They also ran vaccine projects. Because of this work, leaders in Pakistan, Indonesia, and Vietnam started pilot programs for typhoid vaccination in schools. In China, the project found a new problem: more cases of paratyphoid A in a certain area. This led IVI to start a new project focused on paratyphoid in China.

DOMI Cholera Project

The DOMI Cholera project worked to develop and use an affordable cholera vaccine in countries where cholera was common. This project operated in five places: Matlab, Bangladesh; North Jakarta, Indonesia; Kolkata, India; Beira, Mozambique; and Hue, Vietnam.

IVI studied how common cholera was and how it affected people's lives. They also ran cholera vaccination campaigns. The studies showed that many people wanted the cholera vaccine. They also found high rates of cholera in young children. In Beira, IVI vaccinated over 44,000 children and adults. In Kolkata, they vaccinated more than 67,000 children and adults using a cholera vaccine from Vietnam.

At first, the only internationally approved cholera vaccine was very expensive. But the Vietnamese vaccine showed great promise as a low-cost option. Because of this, the Gates Foundation gave IVI more money. This helped IVI work on making the Vietnamese vaccine ready for international use.

DOMI Shigellosis Project

The DOMI Shigellosis program aimed to speed up the creation and use of a safe shigella vaccine. This vaccine would help control outbreaks and ongoing disease. From 2000 to 2004, the DOMI Shigella program monitored the disease in six places in Southeast Asia. These included Dhaka, Bangladesh; Hebei, China; Karachi, Pakistan; North Jakarta, Indonesia; Nha Trang, Vietnam; and Saraburi Province, Thailand.

The program helped us understand what a good shigella vaccine needs to do. It also showed how common the disease was in these countries. The first shigella vaccine tested in Bangladesh didn't work well. The studies showed that a vaccine was really needed. It also needed to protect against many different types of the disease. So, IVI started a long-term project to study the Shigella germ's genetic code. This would help them find common parts to create a vaccine that works against all common types of the disease.

Rotavirus Diarrhea Program

IVI started the Rotavirus Diarrhea Program to help leaders in developing countries. It gave them information about how common rotavirus vaccines were needed. This helped countries decide to add rotavirus vaccines to their national vaccination plans.

This program ran from 1999 to 2010. It studied the disease and its costs in countries like Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Mongolia, South Korea, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam. In 2007, IVI worked with Vietnam's National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology (NIHE). They tested GSK's RotaRix rotavirus vaccine in Khanh Hoa, Vietnam. In 2009, IVI, NIHE, PATH, and Merck finished a larger test of Merck's RotaTeq rotavirus vaccine in Nha Trang, Vietnam. They vaccinated 900 babies in this study.

Dengue Vaccine Programs

The Pediatric Dengue Vaccine Initiative (PDVI)

The Pediatric Dengue Vaccine Initiative was a project started by IVI. It aimed to speed up the introduction of safe and effective dengue vaccines for children. These vaccines were for countries where dengue is common. From 2002 to 2010, PDVI worked in many countries. These included Brazil, Cambodia, Colombia, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Mexico, Myanmar, Nicaragua, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Vietnam.

PDVI helped a lot with dengue vaccine development:

  • They created a network of partners and researchers to develop and test dengue vaccines. They worked with groups like Brazil's Instituto Butantan and the National Institutes of Health in the U.S.
  • They set up two regional groups to share information about controlling dengue through vaccination.
  • They worked with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Together, they created a free, easy-to-use software called DenguEcon. This tool helps leaders understand the economic impact of dengue.

In 2010, PDVI changed its name to the Dengue Vaccine Initiative (DVI).

Dengue Vaccine Initiative (DVI)

The Dengue Vaccine Initiative (DVI) continued the work of PDVI. It was led by IVI and included the World Health Organization, the Sabin Vaccine Institute, and other groups. DVI focused on preparing for decisions about dengue vaccines and introducing them in areas where dengue is common.

Each group in the DVI had a specific role. For example, WHO provided information and training. Johns Hopkins University looked at how to pay for dengue vaccines. Sabin Vaccine Institute handled communication. IVI led the group and gathered information about the disease.

From 2010 to 2016, DVI worked in countries like Brazil, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Colombia, Gabon, India, Kenya, Thailand, and Vietnam. From 2013 to 2015, IVI also helped develop dengue vaccines with groups in Brazil and Vietnam. After the Sanofi Pasteur's Dengvaxia vaccine was approved in 2016, the DVI project ended. IVI staff then moved to a new project called the Global Dengue & Aedes-Transmitted Disease Consortium (GDAC).

How IVI is Organized

Countries Working with IVI

As of January 2019, IVI includes 35 countries and the World Health Organization (WHO) as official partners. These partners are: Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brazil, China, Ecuador, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Israel, Jamaica, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Liberia, Malta, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Netherlands, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Romania, Senegal, Sri Lanka, Sweden, and the World Health Organization.

IVI's Partners

IVI works with many different groups around the world. These include companies, charities, governments, and media organizations. Here are some of their main partners:

Universities and Research Centers

Global Health Organizations

Global Networks

  • BactiVac Network
  • Developing Countries Vaccine Manufacturers Network
  • Global Health Security Agenda
  • Global Health Technologies Coalition
  • Global Task Force on Cholera Control
  • Global Virus Network
  • Joint External Evaluation Alliance
  • Leading International Vaccine Education

Government Agencies

Industry Partners

  • Bio Farma
  • Celltrion
  • Clover Biopharmaceuticals
  • EuBiologics
  • Genexine
  • GlaxoSmithKline
  • Gyeongbuk Institute for Bio Industry
  • Incepta Pharmaceuticals
  • Inovio Pharmaceuticals
  • Instituto Butantan
  • Merck
  • Pfizer
  • Sanofi
  • Shantha Biotechnics
  • Shift Health
  • SK Bioscience
  • Translational Health Science and Technology Institute
  • Vabiotech

Philanthropic Organizations

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