Lawlor R, Wilsdon T, Rémy-Blanc V, Nogal AÁ, Pana A. A review of the sustainability of vaccine funding across Europe and implications for post-COVID policymaking.
Health Policy 2022;
126:956-969. [PMID:
36008177 PMCID:
PMC9364713 DOI:
10.1016/j.healthpol.2022.08.004]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2022] [Revised: 08/01/2022] [Accepted: 08/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Approaches to routine vaccine funding and the underlying budget-setting process vary greatly across European countries. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has put enormous pressure on healthcare systems, affecting resilience of the overall vaccine ecosystem.
METHODS
This article reviews how vaccine budgets are structured across 8 European countries (England, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Romania, and Spain). First a literature review of the landscape was undertaken, followed by expert interviews to review the findings and consider policy principles to secure prioritisation and sustainability of routine vaccination budgets post-COVID.
RESULTS
The organisation of budgets and vaccine spending varies greatly across Europe. In 2/8 countries (France and Germany) vaccine spending is subsumed into a wider healthcare budget. In 2/8 countries (Italy and Romania) the budget differentiates public health and prevention spending from other areas of healthcare, though there is no standalone vaccine budget. In 4/8 countries (England, Finland, Norway and Spain) there is a standalone vaccine budget, however this may not cover all elements needed for immunisation delivery and is not always transparent.
CONCLUSION
Ensuring adequate and dynamic country vaccine budgets, with horizon scanning approaches like in England and Finland, or flexible vaccines expenditures like Germany, would greatly help the timely availability of public funding for new vaccines and strengthen vaccines supply security in Europe through a more virtuous European vaccine ecosystem.
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