From accelerated development to constrained lifecycle: enabling sustainable vaccine supply through platform knowledge and regulatory reliance

Vaccination remains one of the most effective public health interventions. The COVID-19 pandemic raised expectations for how rapidly vaccines can be developed, assessed, and supplied, while also highlighting where quality and regulatory frameworks continue to limit efficiency after approval. This Expert Review examines these lessons from a CMC perspective. It discusses how platform and prior knowledge can accelerate development without compromising product quality, safety or efficacy. It then focuses on lifecycle management after approval, where fragmented global postapproval frameworks can delay the implementation of supply critical improvements. Regulatory reliance is presented as a practical mechanism to reduce duplication and accelerate global implementation of postapproval changes. Together with the ongoing EU variations reform and future ICH Q12 implementation, these approaches can support more efficient and predictable vaccine lifecycle management and improved patient access.