UNSPSC 51201621: Tetanus vaccine

This classification denotes a vaccine against a disease caused by tetanospasmin, a powerful protein toxin produced by clostridium tetani, a disease commonly called Tetanus. Tetanus usually occurs after an acute injury, such as a puncture wound or laceration. Generalized tetanus, the most common form, is characterized by tetanic muscular contractions and hyperreflexia. Localized tetanus presents itself as a mild condition with manifestations restricted to muscles near the wound. It may progress to the generalized form.

UNSPSC 51201621 Tetanus vaccine is a Commodity code, but state and local procurement activity under it shows minimal recent volume. The single identified recent opportunity involves the Mississippi State Department of Health announcing a sole source procurement notice—not for tetanus vaccine, which is the code's nominal scope, but for yellow fever vaccine from Sanofi Pasteur, Inc., with an objection deadline of August 3, 2026. The mismatch between the code's stated scope and the actual solicitation suggests either a coding error in the state's procurement system or that this Commodity code is being used inconsistently to tag vaccine-related procurements across multiple product lines rather than exclusively for tetanus immunizations.

The limited recent activity under this code makes it difficult to characterize the issuing-body mix, geographic spread, or pipeline of active opportunities. State and local health departments and school districts are the typical buyers of tetanus vaccine, but the available record shows only one solicitation, which is mislabeled relative to the code's definition. Procurement professionals targeting this code should verify tetanus vaccine procurement patterns directly with state health departments and school districts in their target regions rather than relying on UNSPSC-tagged opportunities, as the coding inconsistency suggests the code may not reliably surface relevant RFPs, RFQs, or ITBs for the products being purchased.