Glossary

The EVM initiative provides materials and tools needed to monitor and assess vaccine supply chains and help countries to improve their supply chain performance.

The root mean square value of the maximum input voltage that the device is able to continuously tolerate without any form of electrical or mechanical damage.

The organization that contracts with the legal manufacturer or reseller who will supply the system components and the installation and maintenance advisory services described in specification PQS/E001/CR-FR01.4. The employer will typically contract with an installer who will install and commission the installation under the supervision of a quality assurance (QA) assessor and also with a maintenance contractor who will maintain the installation.

The organization that contracts with the legal manufacturer or reseller who will supply the vehicle and maintenance advisory services described in specification:  WHO/PQS/E002/RV01.1.

The organization that contracts an approved installer to carry out the system installation and commissioning.

The point at which time-temperature exposure has altered the appearance of the active surface so that it exactly matches the reference surface. At this point, and thereafter, the vaccine should no longer be used.

The collection, distribution and use of surplus solar electricity for loads in addition to an immunization appliance.

Accessory control device and/or system to enable the use of surplus solar photovoltaic electricity from a solar-powered immunization appliance for powering additional electricity consuming devices (loads). An EHC may harvest surplus electricity when the active cooling circuit is off and/or when the active cooling circuit is on and sufficient surplus electricity is available.

Measurement and recording device intended to monitor cold chain temperature, performance, events and alarms in walk-in cold rooms and freezer rooms (PQS E001) and refrigeration appliances (PQS E003).

Those pharmaceutical products that satisfy the health care needs of the majority of the population. WHO’s Expert Committee on the Selection and Use of Essential Medicines updates the WHO Model List of Essential Medicines at two-year intervals. Each country may use this model to generate its own list of essential pharmaceutical products.

A multisource product that has been marketed by the applicant or manufacturer associated with the dossier for at least five years and for which at least 10 production batches were produced over the previous year, or, if less than 10 batches were produced in the previous year, not less than 25 batches were produced in the previous three years.

An individual or organization (including a testing laboratory) responsible for evaluating the suitability of the components and services described in a specification for inclusion in the list of WHO-prequalified immunization devices.

an international trade term that describes when a seller makes a product available at a designated location, and the buyer of the product must cover the transport costs. Ex-works is one of the Incoterms (International Commercial Terms, a set of standardized international trade terms) published by the International Chamber of Commerce.

A substance or compound, other than the active pharmaceutical ingredient and packaging materials, that is intended or designated to be used in the manufacture of a pharmaceutical product.

The date after which a compounded preparation should not be stored, transported or used; the date is determined from the date or time the preparation is compounded. It is also known as beyond-use date.