Does the EU need an immunisation strategy?

At the end of April, the World Health Organisation completed a comprehensive analysis of the Expanded Programme of Immunisation (EPI) which has been operating for 50 years.

The study estimates that 154 million lives have been saved by vaccines. In addition, smallpox has been eradicated and 20 million people weren’t paralysed by polio. In short, immunisation has delivered amazing results.

There is much to celebrate, but the pandemic meant that many children have missed out on vaccinations and we are now witnessing outbreaks of disease like measles and pertussis (whooping cough) across Europe. While there was already a decline in child vaccination before 2021, the situation was exacerbated by the pandemic.

Nevertheless, there is growing vaccine hesitancy, with 18-34-year-olds becoming less confident in vaccines between 2018 and 2022. In addition, Vaccines Europe report that member states take a median of six years to adopt new vaccines that have already received European Medicines Agency (EMA) approval. 

Euractiv spoke with Laurent Louette, the director of public affairs and  countries liaison at Vaccines Europe about their campaign for an ‘EU Immunisation Strategy’ for 2024 – 2029.

“We saw a lot of momentum from COVID-19 which shone a spotlight on vaccination,” says Louette. “Most of us understand what a powerful tool vaccination is in preventing illness and saving lives. It’s a very worthwhile investment.”

He does not underestimate the multiple challenges facing politicians, from the war in Ukraine to climate change, but says that a strategy is needed to prevent sickness, save lives and save money.

Despite the immense benefits of vaccination, Louette says that on average only 0.5% of national healthcare budgets are spent on immunisation.

If we look at tackling seasonal influenza as an example, vaccination can save between €248 million and €332 million in healthcare costs by avoiding hospitalisation and visits to doctors, not to mention fewer days off sick and better health.

For already overstretched healthcare systems, it’s a good way to keep people out of hospital.

One suggestion from Louette is that potential savings from investing in vaccines could play a greater role in EU country specific recommendations that are part of the European Semester. 

Vaccines Europe urges the EU to implement the WHO Immunisation Agenda for 2030 and establish life-course immunisation targets, with implementation guidance and progress tracking as part of an EU strategy. 

On tackling vaccine hesitancy, Louette says that you have to be really transparent and use direct communication with your population, “There is a group who are really anti-vaccine and you aren’t going to be able to persuade them, but there are other people who have real questions and want to know that vaccines are safe.”

AstraZeneca withdraws authorisation for its COVID-19 vaccine

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) received a request from AstraZeneca (AZ) for the withdrawal of authorisation for its COVID-19 vaccine, Vaxzevria, on 5 March. The application came into effect yesterday (7 May). 

In a statement, the company wrote that it was incredibly proud of the role their vaccine had played in saving millions of lives.

AZ writes that independent analysis estimated that it saved over 6.5 million lives in the first year of the pandemic. 

The company states that the decision is based on commercial reasons: “As multiple, variant COVID-19 vaccines have since been developed, there is a surplus of available updated vaccines. This has led to a decline in demand for Vaxzevria, which is no longer being manufactured or supplied. AZ has therefore taken the decision to initiate withdrawal of the marketing authorisations for Vaxzeria within Europe.”

Some commentators have speculated that the decision to withdraw the vaccine is linked to litigation in the UK where AZ acknowledged that the vaccine can, in very rare cases, cause blood clots in the brain (CVST) and elsewhere in the body.

The allegations have been brought by a group of fifty people who say they have suffered serious injuries or have lost relatives. 

There were early reports of blood clotting after vaccination at the time, this resulted in Denmark, Latvia, the Netherlands and Norway stopping use of the vaccine and six other European countries, including Germany and France restricting its use. 

In its assessment on 24 March 2021, EMA assessed that any possible risks were far outweighed by data suggesting an 85% reduction in hospitalisation and death from COVID-19.

Une Affaire de Principe

It’s not often that we get to mention a newly released film in the Health Brief, but Une Affaire de Principe opens in Belgian cinemas on Wednesday (8 May). The film directed by Antoine Raimbault, is based of José Bové’s book on the scandal surrounding the resignation of then health commissioner John Dalli. The events that took place in 2012 were linked to the Tobacco Products Directive; a review of the same directive is expected this year. 

Another Maltese Health Commissioner?

Some have been speculating on contenders for the next EU health commissioner; one of the names that has been in the mix is Deputy-Prime Minister and former-Minister of Health of Malta, Chris Fearne. 

Fearne’s views on tobacco are more relaxed than other contenders for the EU’s top health job, he has said: “While we acknowledge that increased taxes can deter smoking and drinking, we believe that allocating more resources to educational campaigns produces superior outcomes.”

It is difficult to see the European Parliament endorsing a candidate whose government has been emersed in a major scandal linked to its health system and where that candidate has been mentioned in the related magistrate-led inquiry.

One Health

Five EU agencies (7 May) have published a joint framework to implement the EU’s One Health agenda. The fives agencies are the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), the European Environment Agency (EEA), the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), and the European Medicines Agency (EMA).

Council adopts new directives strengthening the role of equality bodies

The Council has adopted Tuesday (7 May) two new directives to strengthen the role of equality bodies across the EU, that provide assistance to victims of discrimination of all kind.

The  directives approved today aim to improve the effectiveness of these institutions by enhancing competences, assuring their independence and making sure they have sufficient fundings.

“Today’s final adoption of two equally directives paves the way for strengthened national equality bodies that are independent, well-resourced, and have the necessary powers to fulfil their mission effectively”, said EU Commissioner for Equality Helena Dalli on X.

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Eurostat published its latest data on estimated life expectancy on Friday (3 May) and there is good news: We have gained an extra 0.9 years on 2022.

France is the European country with the highest tax burden for pharmaceutical companies, according to a study published on Thursday (May 2) by Entreprises du Médicament en France (Leem), an association of French pharmaceutical companies.

The European parliament took up the so-called “Pfizer gate” after the New York Times revealed an exchange of texts between Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and the CEO of pharmaceutical giant Pfizer during the COVID-19 pandemic.

News from the Capitals

EUROPEAN UNION
An alarming new ECDC survey reveals that healthcare-associated infections (HAI) and antibiotic use are on the rise, increasing patient safety risks across Europe. Read more.

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BRATISLAVA
Bratislava hesitates on pharma package, concerns voiced on RDP’s unpredictability. Slovakia is still in the ‘undecided’ camp for the EU Pharmaceutical Package’s regulatory data protection (RDP) system, but senior Slovak voices question the RDP’s unpredictability and exposure to external risk. Read more.

Slovakia’s new fiscal deficit measures hit health coverage, staff levels. Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico, has announced a new wave of proposed cost-saving measures aimed at deficit reduction, but they risk impacting Slovakia’s health service and health insurance provision. Read more.

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STOCKHOLM
Sweden eyes broader use of precision cancer medicine. 
Swedish researchers are preparing a national clinical trial to personalise off-label cancer drugs for patients who have run out of treatment options. The trial hopes to lead to a broad adoption of precision medicine in cancer care across Sweden. Read more.

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BRUSSELS
Belgian innovative pharma sector urges government to prioritise competitiveness. The Belgian innovative pharmaceutical industry continues to grow, but competitiveness dynamics and EU pharma package revisions are causing uncertainty. Euractiv spoke in depth with Caroline Ven, CEO of pharma.be, about the sector’s concerns. Read more.

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BUDAPEST
Hungary launches new national nutritional safety vigilance website. 
Hungary has launched a new nutritional vigilance website to tackle poor data transparency for dietary supplement side effects. An expanding market and misleading advertising have increased consumer risks, which the site now seeks to counter. Read more.

8 May – Last day of the Belgian Presidency’s three day Antimicrobial Resistance Conference The final day of the conference will focus on initiatives to strengthen the EU’s response to AMR, with panel discussions and presentations from key stakeholders.

8 May – Une Affaire de Principe (Smoke Signals in English) film on the Dalli scandal released in Belgium, release dates vary from country to country.

10 May – Deadline to reach an agreement on a “Pandemic Treaty” ahead of the WHO assembly beginning later this month.

13 – 17 May – European Public Health Week #EUPHW2024 “Health is a political choice!”

14 May – Education, Youth, Culture and Sport Council – sport ministers are expected to approve a resolution on the ‘EU’s Work Plan for Sport’, and conclusions on the contribution of self-organised sport to supporting active and healthy lifestyles.

14 May –  ‘Advancing the right to be forgotten: Improving quality of life for people with a history of cancer’ Commission event to develop a code of conduct for access to finance for cancer survivors.

15 May – Rare diseases conference EURORDIS, The Square.

[Edited by Alice Taylor]

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