National Vaccine Catalogue: Glossary

Abbreviation : SNOMED CT abbreviation in English or French representing the vaccine brand name. Written as Abbreviation (en) for English and Abbreviation (fr) for French.

Administration anatomical site : Describes specific locations on the human body where vaccines are administered.

Administrative gender : Includes the gender (representing the sex at birth) of a person used for immunization administrative purposes (as opposed to clinical gender, representing the gender identity that an individual identifies with).

Antibodies : A protein made by the immune system that is specific to an antigen. When an antibody detects this antigen in the body, it will start an immune response to rid the body of the antigen.

Antigen : An active ingredient in vaccines that triggers the body's immune response by being recognized as a foreign substance.

Antitoxin : An active ingredient consisting of antibodies that target and neutralize toxins produced by pathogens, providing passive immunity.

API : Application Programming Interface, is a set of rules or protocols that allows the National Vaccine Catalogue to communicate with other software programs and applications to exchange data, features and functionality seamlessly.

Approved : Refers to an active DIN that has been reviewed and authorized for sale in Canada but has not yet been marketed in Canada.

Associated Subsets : A secondary grouping of related concepts that provide additional context or supporting information for the primary subsets. For related information, refer to the definition of “Subset” elsewhere in this glossary.

Authorization By Interim Order Expired : Refers to the status of an application for an interim order, primarily relevant to COVID-19 vaccines. For all COVID-19 vaccines/drugs 'applied for under the interim order and subsequently approved, if no further application was filed under the Food and Drug Regulations after September 16, 2021,the DINS (Drug Identification Number) would be considered as 'Authorized by Interim Order - Expired.'

Authorization By Interim Order Revoked : Refers to DIN for which the product authorization has been revoked as per section 19(2) and (3) of the Regulations Amending the Food and Drug Regulations (Interim Order Respecting the Importation, Sale and Advertising of Drugs for Use in Relation to COVID-19).

Authorized By Interim Order : Refers to an active DIN for a product that has been reviewed and authorized for sale in Canada, pursuant to an Interim Order issued by the Minister of Health, where the corresponding drug product has not yet been marketed in Canada.

Biologic and Radiopharmaceutical Drugs Directorate : The directorate in Health Canada that regulates biological drugs (products made from living sources, including vaccines), radiopharmaceuticals (drugs that have radioactivity), and cells, tissues and organs for human use in Canada.

Canada Health Infoway : An independent, not-for-profit organization funded by the federal government to strengthen a Canada-wide health infrastructure to improve quality, access, and timeliness of healthcare for Canadians, as well as the developments of digital health technologies and standards to ensure compatibility of health information in Canada.

Cancelled (Safety Issue) : Refers to a DIN that is cancelled following the suspension of a Notice of Compliance pursuant to Section C.01.014.6 (1) (b) of the Regulations or to Section C.01.014.6 (2) (b) of the Regulations due to failure to provide evidence regarding the safety and effectiveness of a drug, pursuant to Section C.01.013 of the Regulations.

Cancelled (Unreturned Annual) : Refers to a DIN that is cancelled due to failure to provide the Annual Notification pursuant to Section C.01.014.6 (2) (a) of the Regulations.

Cancelled Post Market : Refers to a DIN that is cancelled further to the discontinuation of the sale by the manufacturer pursuant to Section C.01.014.6 (1) (a) of the Regulations.

Cancelled Pre Market : Refers to a DIN that is cancelled before it was ever marketed in Canada.

Concept : This is an abbreviation for SNOMED CT concept. A unique clinical idea/ term which has been assigned a unique concept code.

Concept Code : A Unique numerical SNOMED CT code that is assigned to each concept in order to identify it.

Concept Details : Detailed information about a concept on the NVC. The details presented may include any of the following: 1. Pan-Canadian SNOMED CT terminology: Information about the concept referenced from the Canadian SNOMED CT terminology, 2. Health Canada Drug Information: Information about the drug referenced from Health Canada, 3. Linked concepts: Information about how concepts and drugs are related and mapped/linked to each other.

Concept Status : A boolean value (active or inactive) representing the current status of the SNOMED CT concept. By default, all browsing tables display only active SNOMED CT concepts, with a filter available to include inactive concepts if needed. For inactive concepts, the replacement concept (if available) is indicated above the concept detail table. Additionally, a history section at the bottom of the page shows any previous concepts the current concept may have replaced, if available.

Display Name : Using SNOMED CT's preferred term, the term deemed to be the most clinically appropriate way of expressing a concept in a specified language context.

Dormant : Refers to an active DIN that was previously marketed in Canada but for which the manufacturer has suspended sale for period of at least 12 months.

Drug Identification Number (DIN) : A computer-generated eight-digit number assigned by Health Canada to uniquely identify drugs authorized for sale in Canada.

Expiry Date : The current expiration date (yyyy-mm-dd) of the vaccine lot. This may be the original date or an extended date if Health Canada has approved a shelf-life extension. This information is available in the Lots subset browsing table, which can be filtered, and in the details view when you click on a specific lot.

Extension (days) : Indicates the number of days a shelf life has been extended from the previous expiry date. This information is found in the Lots subset below the subset details.

Forecast status : The forecast status subset represents an individual's status with respect to their immunization guideline as of evaluation date.

Fully Specified Name : A unique description that represents the meaning of a SNOMED CT concept in a manner that is unambiguous and independent of the context in which it is used.

Generic Name : The generic or non-proprietary name of the vaccine.

HC (Health Canada) Approval Date : Relates specifically to approval of vaccine lots for distribution by Health Canada. It refers to the date (yyyy-mm-dd) when Health Canada approved the vaccine lot for distribution.

Health Canada : The Federal department responsible for helping Canadians maintain and improve their health, while respecting individual choices and circumstances. Health Canada is the Federal department responsible for helping Canadians maintain and improve their health, while respecting individual choices and circumstances.

Healthcare provider occupation : Describes occupations that are used to capture healthcare providers that administer immunizations.

HL7 FHIR API : Health Level 7 is a standards development organization that provides a comprehensive framework for the exchange, integration, sharing, and retrieval of electronic health information. And FHIR (Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources) is an HL7 standards framework that defines a set of resources that represent granular clinical concepts. HL7® FHIR® includes specifications for an Application Programming Interface, or API, based on established web standards and modern information exchange that has been extended to create a full interoperability solution for health care.

Immunizing agent : A synonymous term that can refer to both the commercial product (tradename) and its general formulation (generic name).

Immunoglobulin : An active ingredient consisting of antibodies that provide passive immunity.

Internationally sourced : A boolean value (YES or NO) representing whether the specific vaccine lot was internationally sourced.

Last HC Update Date : Refers to the most recent date (yyyy-mm-dd) of update by Health Canada, specifically to the changes in vaccine lots and DINs.

Last Updated : Refer to the most recent date (yyyy-mm-dd) of update to the specific concept by the NVC in the database.

Linked concepts : Linked concepts are associations between concepts demonstrated through hyperlinks. In the NVC, relationships are established as follows: lots are mapped to DINs, DINs are mapped to tradenames, tradenames are mapped to generics, and both tradenames and generics are mapped to antigens. Antigens, in turn, are mapped to vaccine preventable diseases.

Market Authorization Holder : SNOMED CT terminology and code for the legal entity authorized by Health Canada for distributing the immunizing agent in Canada.

Marketed : Refers to an active DIN that is currently being sold in Canada.

Original Expiry Date : Date(yyyy-mm-dd) representing the manufacturer's original/initial expiration date for the vaccine lot number. This information is available in the Lots subset browsing table.

Passive (immunizing) agent : A substance that provides immediate, short-term immunity by supplying pre-formed antibodies.

Product Monograph : A hyperlink to the vaccine product monograph on Health Canada's website is available through the DIN hyperlink in the Tradename browsing table.

Product Status : The current status of a vaccine, as determined by Health Canada, includes categories such as approved, marketed, cancelled pre-market, cancelled post-market, dormant, cancelled (unreturned annual), authorized by interim order, restricted access, authorization by interim order expired, cancelled (safety issue), and authorization by interim order revoked. Definitions for each status can be found by searching for them in this glossary.

Public Health Agency of Canada : The Public Health Agency of Canada is part of the federal health portfolio. Its activities focus on preventing disease and injuries, responding to public health threats, promoting good physical and mental health, and providing information to support informed decision making.

Release Note : Found in the Download/API tab, it provides notes attached to releases, such as a summary of changes or other relevant information specific to the release.

Restricted Access : Refers to an active DIN where the sale of the corresponding drug product is restricted to federal, provincial and territorial, and municipal government(s), pursuant to C.08.002.02 of the Regulations.

Route of administration : The path the administered immunization takes to get into the body.

Shelf life Extension Approval Date : Date (yyyy-mm-dd) when a shelf-life extension was approved by Health Canada.

SNOMED CT : Systemized Nomenclature of Medicine - Clinical Terms. It is a high-quality, comprehensive, international, logic-based reference terminology that is used to present clinically relevant information.

SNOMED CT Reference Sets : A standard format for maintaining and distributing a set of references to SNOMED CT components. A reference set can be used to represent a subset of components such as concepts, descriptions, or relationships; or may also associate referenced components with additional information such as ordered lists of components, sets of associations between components or mapping between SNOMED CT concepts and other system codes.

Strength : This refers to the strength of the active ingredient. If the strength is reported per a dosage unit (e.g.: 5 millilitre [mL] or 15 mL), this information will immediately follow the strength (e.g., 10 mg/5 mL). If multiple strengths are available, refer to the product monograph for details via the DIN hyperlink.

Subset : A primary grouping of specific concepts most often used. For example, the Tradename subset includes information on tradenames, the Generics subset includes generics, and the Lots subset includes lots. Where applicable, mappings to other subsets are also provided.

The Food and Drug Regulations : A set of regulations under Canada's Food and Drugs Act for the manufacture, packaging, labelling, storage, importation, distribution and sale of foods, and prescription and non-prescription drugs in Canada.

The Regulations Amending the Food and Drug Regulations : A set of regulations that modify or update the existing Food and Drug Regulations.

Total extension (days) : The cumulative number of days a shelf life has been extended from the original expiry date. This information is found in the Lots subset below the subset details.

Tradename : The drug or vaccine name under which a manufacturer, corporation, partnership or individual chooses to operate, sell and advertise.

Typical dose : The standard dosage amount of the vaccine.

Vaccine : A substance that stimulates the immune system to protect against specific diseases.

Vaccine Lot number : String value assigned by the manufacturer that uniquely represents each vaccine batch.

Vaccine-Preventable Disease : The disease that a vaccine is designed to protect against.

Version : The specific date where the concept was published in the SNOMED CT Canadian version edition.