EU Vaccine Industry To Lobby Newly Elected Parliament For Increased Vaccination

LYON, France – On the side of the annual Biovision conference on life sciences, a European vaccine manufacturers group presented its call for action for vaccines in Europe.

Vaccines Europe, formerly called European Vaccine Manufacturers, is the specialised vaccines groups of the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA). On the side of the Biovision Forum, held from 5-6 June, Vaccines Europe unveiled its plan of action to improve, maintain and strengthen the public vaccination level in the European Union.

The call for action is directed at European policymakers as newly elected members of the European Parliament are scurrying to form the political groups of the Parliament, in time for the first plenary session on 1 July.

The overall goal of this action is to increase vaccination in Europe, in particular through attracting investment in prevention and put immunisation at the centre of healthcare systems, according to Vaccines Europe President Andrea Rappagliosi.

“There is added value in keeping the entire population fully vaccinated” throughout the lifetime, he told the Biovision side event.

The call for action is articulated around five strategic directions, he said: implementation of a holistic approach to prevention in Europe; accelerating citizens’ access to innovative vaccines; enhancing EU citizens’ protection against preventable diseases; supporting a stronger European centre for disease prevention and control; and building effective communications strategies and stakeholder engagement.

Christelle Saint-Sardos, chair of the “People Access” working group at Vaccines Europe, said the current R&D system is no longer financially viable, for several reasons, one of which is that innovative vaccines that are available and approved by regulatory authorities often remain unavailable to citizens for a very long time.

Anjana Narain, chair of the influenza working group at Vaccines Europe, underlined the disparities in the flu vaccination in Europe, citing the United Kingdom and the Netherlands as examples of good conduct, and indicating that 38,500 deaths in Europe can be attributed to the influenza virus each season.

The disaffection of people for vaccination comes from the lack of media communication on the importance of vaccination, the underestimation of the risk from diseases, and the fear of side effects of vaccines, she said.