The aim of the DRIVE project is to develop robust evidence on brand-specific influenza vaccine effectiveness (BSIVE) in Europe. The research agenda has been developed to identify areas where increased knowledge could support decision making for regulatory purposes and for public health programs. The agenda is now shared externally to solicit input that will be discussed with relevant stakeholders at the DRIVE Forum in Rome in September 2018. The agenda will be updated annually to monitor research advances and possible new areas to investigate.
Aspects that could be researched to improve the robustness of estimates of influenza vaccine effectiveness have been delineated in terms of needs for evidence, in terms of data and methods, and in terms of governance. The needs for evidence are described according to the regulatory framework and discussed according to time, place and people. Robustness is described with the objective of improving grading of observational studies on IVE and BSIVE. The needs for data are described for exposure and outcome. A list of possible methodological investigations is proposed.
The section on governance discusses regulatory aspects of IVE and BSIVE, and the context of European collaborations in a post-authorization setting. It is proposed to develop key indicators for governance evaluation, explore the usefulness of existing standards to assess scientific independence and transparency of collaborative research, and evaluate the perception of public-private partnerships (PPPs).
The project welcomes all comments on the research agenda, for example regarding the completeness and priorities – and whether it could be shared or hosted and maintained at EU level. Please share your insight with the form found below and submit it in Word format at info@drive-eu.org before July 15th , 2018. The synthesis of contribution received will be posted on the DRIVE website.
The agenda and the comment form
Multi Stakeholder Influenza Vaccine Effectiveness Research Agenda
Form for collecting comments