Vaccination programmes implemented across Europe play a central role in the prevention and spread of serious infectious diseases and have brought significant benefits to both patients and clinicians. With the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the global focus on developing a vaccine, the importance of government-sponsored vaccination programmes is clearer than ever.
There are a variety of models used to procure vaccines for large-scale immunisation programmes, governed by the European legal framework for procurement. These range from price-based models, designed to acquire vaccines at the lowest cost possible, to value-based models that focus on a drug’s perceived value to clinicians, patients and healthcare systems. Price-based models are popular in many countries as they result in lower costs in the short term. However, as Tim Wilsdon and Ryan Lawlor explain, a recent analysis indicates that a price-based vaccine procurement model can limit the long-term effectiveness and sustainability of many vaccination programmes and potentially put public health at risk.
To read the article in European Pharmaceutical Review, click here.
