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SOP for Vaccine Trial Conduct Aligned with WHO PQ/Prequalification Guidance

Posted on October 24, 2025 digi By digi

SOP for Vaccine Trial Conduct Aligned with WHO PQ/Prequalification Guidance

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“headline”: “SOP for Vaccine Trial Conduct Aligned with WHO PQ/Prequalification Guidance”,
“description”: “This SOP describes procedures for conducting vaccine trials in alignment with WHO Prequalification (PQ) guidance. It ensures compliance with WHO standards, ethical practices, and readiness for PQ dossier submission supporting global vaccine procurement.”,
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Published on 26/12/2025

Standard Operating Procedure for Vaccine Trial Conduct Aligned with WHO PQ/Prequalification Guidance

SOP No. CR/OPS/152/2025
Supersedes NA
Page No. X of Y
Issue Date 26/08/2025
Effective Date 01/09/2025
Review Date 01/09/2026

Table of Contents

Toggle
  • Purpose
  • Scope
  • Responsibilities
  • Accountability
  • Procedure
  • Abbreviations
  • Documents
  • References
  • Approval Section
  • Annexures
  • Revision History

Purpose

The purpose of this SOP is to define standardized procedures for conducting vaccine clinical trials in alignment with World

Health Organization (WHO) Prequalification (PQ) guidance. Compliance with PQ ensures that vaccine data supports global procurement and use by United Nations agencies and Gavi, strengthening public health impact.

Scope

This SOP applies to sponsors, CROs, investigators, QA, and regulatory affairs teams engaged in vaccine trials intended for WHO PQ submission. It covers trial design considerations, operational procedures, data integrity requirements, and dossier preparation.

See also  SOP for Onsite Monitoring Visits and Source Data Verification

Responsibilities

  • Sponsor: Ensures trial design and execution align with WHO PQ guidance and GCP.
  • CRO: Oversees operational compliance with PQ trial requirements.
  • Investigator: Conducts vaccine trial activities according to protocol, GCP, and PQ standards.
  • QA: Audits vaccine trial processes and ensures PQ-readiness of trial data.
  • Regulatory Affairs: Coordinates submissions with WHO PQ program.

Accountability

The Sponsor’s Clinical and Regulatory Heads are accountable for ensuring that vaccine trials are PQ-compliant, and trial data is suitable for PQ dossier submission.

Procedure

1. Trial Design and Protocol Development
1.1 Incorporate WHO PQ requirements into vaccine trial protocols.
1.2 Ensure inclusion of appropriate endpoints (safety, immunogenicity, efficacy).
1.3 Document in Protocol Compliance Log (Annexure-1).

2. Site Preparation and Training
2.1 Select PQ-ready trial sites with vaccine cold chain capacity.
2.2 Conduct training for investigators and staff on PQ standards.
2.3 Document in Training Log (Annexure-2).

3. Vaccine Handling and Cold Chain
3.1 Maintain WHO-recommended cold chain conditions (2–8°C unless specified).
3.2 Record in Vaccine Cold Chain Log (Annexure-3).

4. Data Collection and Integrity
4.1 Collect safety, efficacy, and immunogenicity data per PQ requirements.
4.2 Ensure ALCOA+ principles in data capture.
4.3 Document in Data Integrity Log (Annexure-4).

5. SAE and SUSAR Reporting
5.1 Report safety events per WHO PQ requirements.
5.2 Document in Safety Reporting Log (Annexure-5).

See also  SOP for Remote/Central SDV for Decentralized Trials

6. PQ Dossier Preparation
6.1 Compile PQ dossier sections covering quality, safety, and efficacy.
6.2 Archive dossier documents in TMF.
6.3 Record in PQ Dossier Preparation Log (Annexure-6).

Abbreviations

  • SOP: Standard Operating Procedure
  • PQ: Prequalification
  • WHO: World Health Organization
  • CRO: Contract Research Organization
  • QA: Quality Assurance
  • SAE: Serious Adverse Event
  • SUSAR: Suspected Unexpected Serious Adverse Reaction
  • TMF: Trial Master File
  • GCP: Good Clinical Practice

Documents

  1. Protocol Compliance Log (Annexure-1)
  2. Training Log (Annexure-2)
  3. Vaccine Cold Chain Log (Annexure-3)
  4. Data Integrity Log (Annexure-4)
  5. Safety Reporting Log (Annexure-5)
  6. PQ Dossier Preparation Log (Annexure-6)

References

  • WHO Prequalification of Medicines and Vaccines
  • ICH GCP Guidelines
  • Gavi – The Vaccine Alliance

Version: 1.0

Approval Section

Prepared By Ravi Kumar, Vaccine Trial Coordinator
Checked By Sunita Reddy, QA Officer
Approved By Dr. Anil Sharma, Head Clinical Operations

Annexures

Annexure-1: Protocol Compliance Log

Date Protocol ID Compliance Check Checked By Status
01/09/2025 VAC-2025-01 Endpoints Verified Reg Affairs Compliant

Annexure-2: Training Log

Date Site Staff Trained Trainer Status
02/09/2025 Mumbai Site 12 QA Officer Completed

Annexure-3: Vaccine Cold Chain Log

Date Vaccine Batch Temperature Checked By Status
03/09/2025 VAC-LOT-001 +4°C Site Pharmacist Maintained

Annexure-4: Data Integrity Log

Date Data Type Verification Method Verified By Status
05/09/2025 Immunogenicity Double Data Entry Data Manager Validated
See also  SOP for Multilingual Documentation and Retention Compliance

Annexure-5: Safety Reporting Log

Date Event Reported To Reported By Status
06/09/2025 Local Reaction WHO PQ Safety Investigator Submitted

Annexure-6: PQ Dossier Preparation Log

Date Dossier Section Prepared By Status
10/09/2025 Safety Module Regulatory Affairs Completed

Revision History

Revision Date Revision No. Revision Details Reason for Revision Approved By
26/08/2025 00 Initial version New SOP creation Head Clinical Operations

For more SOPs visit: Pharma SOP

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