Abstract：
This study considers a hypothetical global pediatric vaccine market where multiple coordinating entities make optimal procurement decisions on behalf of countries with different purchasing power. Each entity aims to improve affordability for its countries while maintaining a profitable market for vaccine producers. This study analyzes the effect of several factors on affordability and profitability, including the number of non-cooperative coordinating entities making procuring decisions, the number of market segments in which countries are grouped for tiered pricing purposes, how producers recover fixed production costs, and the procuring order of the coordinating entities. The study relies on a framework where entities negotiate sequentially with vaccine producers using a three-stage optimization process that solves a MIP and two LP problems to determine the optimal procurement plans and prices per dose that maximize savings for the entities\' countries and profit for the vaccine producers. The study\'s results challenge current vaccine market dynamics and contribute novel alternative strategies to orchestrate the interaction of buyers, producers, and coordinating entities for enhancing affordability in a non-cooperative market. Key results show that the order in which the coordinating entities negotiate with vaccine producers and how the latter recuperate their fixed cost investments can significantly affect profitability and affordability. Furthermore, low-income countries can meet their demands more affordably by procuring vaccines through tiered pricing via entities coordinating many market segments. In contrast, upper-middle and high-income countries increase their affordability by procuring through entities with fewer and more extensive market segments. A procurement order that prioritizes entities based on the descending income level of their countries offers higher opportunities to increase affordability and profit when producers offer volume discounts.
摘要：
本研究考虑了一个假设的全球儿科疫苗市场，其中多个协调实体代表购买力不同的国家做出最佳采购决策。每个实体都旨在提高其国家的负担能力，同时为疫苗生产商保持一个有利可图的市场。本研究分析了几个因素对承受能力和盈利能力的影响，包括做出采购决策的非合作协调实体的数量，为分层定价目的对国家进行分组的细分市场的数量，生产者如何收回固定生产成本，以及协调实体的采购顺序。该研究依赖于一个框架，实体使用三阶段优化过程与疫苗生产商进行顺序谈判，该过程解决了一个MIP和两个LP问题，以确定最佳采购计划和每剂价格，从而最大限度地为实体国家节省资金，并为疫苗生产商获利。该研究的结果挑战了当前的疫苗市场动态，并为协调购买者的互动提供了新的替代策略。生产者,和协调实体，以提高非合作市场的承受能力。关键结果表明，协调实体与疫苗生产商谈判的顺序以及后者如何恢复其固定成本投资可以显着影响盈利能力和负担能力。此外，低收入国家可以通过协调许多细分市场的实体通过分层定价来采购疫苗，从而更经济地满足其需求。相比之下,中高收入国家通过拥有更少和更广泛的细分市场的实体进行采购，从而提高了其可负担性。当生产者提供数量折扣时，根据其国家的收入递减水平对实体进行优先排序的采购订单提供了更高的机会来提高负担能力和利润。
