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Quarterly Newsletter:
July 2025
Issue #16
Editorial
Vaccines and Preparedness – Europe’s Best Defence
Basil Babychan, Commercial Director at Bilthoven Biologicals and Vaccines Europe Board Member
The EU’s Preparedness Union Strategy calls for a radical rethinking of how we build resilience: not through last-minute crisis response, but through “preparedness-by-design”– anticipating risks, preventing harm, and embedding readiness across all sectors. It also involves strengthening supply chains to ensure the availability of essential goods and services during crises.
Vaccines are central to this vision. They reduce the burden of infections, chronic diseases, and antimicrobial resistance (AMR), strengthen immune resilience across the life course, and help maintain essential services during crises. As climate change fuels the spread of new pathogens and antimicrobial resistance rises, vaccines offer one of the most powerful shields available.
Vaccines can prevent seasonal influenza outbreaks, which can overwhelm healthcare systems during winter months. They also play a crucial role in controlling diseases like measles and polio, which can have devastating effects on communities. Furthermore, vaccines are essential in the fight against emerging infectious diseases such as COVID-19, where rapid development and deployment can save lives. By promoting widespread vaccination, we protect vulnerable populations, reduce healthcare costs, and ensure that societies remain resilient in the face of health emergencies.
Vaccination is not only about health – it protects economies, supply chains, and societies. It is a pillar of the EU’s open strategic autonomy and a cornerstone of its long-term resilience. Widespread vaccination is instrumental in preventing workforce disruptions due to illness, thereby ensuring the continuous and efficient operation of businesses and industries. It also plays a crucial role in maintaining the stability of supply chains by mitigating the risk of outbreaks that could impede production or distribution processes. By safeguarding public health, vaccination enhances social stability, alleviates the burden on healthcare systems, and enables governments to allocate resources to other critical areas. Ultimately, vaccination is a fundamental strategy for fostering a resilient and autonomous European Union, capable of withstanding diverse challenges and sustaining its prosperity.
Europe is well-positioned to lead. With 98 vaccine candidates currently in development by Vaccines Europe member companies – 42% of them targeting diseases with no registered vaccines – our scientific base is strong. But to turn innovation into protection, we need systems that prioritise immunisation as core preparedness infrastructure.
To make this sustainable, we must treat prevention as a true investment. Under the New Economic Governance Framework, classifying vaccination and prevention as “social security investments” would secure the resources needed to act before the crisis hits. Because when it comes to preparedness, early action saves lives—and costs.
At Vaccines Europe, we look forward to continuing our work with DG HERA and all other relevant stakeholders towards strengthening Europe’s preparedness for new and emerging health challenges.
Vaccines Europe External Engagement
Putting immunisation high on the political agenda
Throughout May and June, we had a number of meetings with EU policymakers, including the European Commissioner for Health and Animal Welfare Olivér Várhelyi, the European Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management Hadja Lahbib and the Director-General of the Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA) Dr. Florika Fink-Hooijer.
During these meetings, we reiterated one crucial message: Immunisation is a strategic asset for Europe, contributing to its health security, preparedness and economic stability. Supporting vaccine innovation and ensuring investment in prevention, including immunisation, is prioritised would safeguard public health and help Europe retain its leadership in vaccine R&D and manufacturing.
As Sibilia Quilici shared during the HERA Industry Days, there are currently 98 innovative vaccines in development by Vaccines Europe member companies, and 42% of these candidates aim to address disease areas for which no vaccine has been registered yet. Strong immunisation policies are needed to capitalise on this innovation, and help address the major health challenges ahead such as antimicrobial resistance, climate change, the ageing population, emerging pathogens and economic pressures.
We look forward to continuing our collaboration with stakeholders from the entire vaccine ecosystem, for a healthier future.
Vaccines and the EU HTA Regulation: Why, What and How?
Vaccines Europe organised a webinar on Vaccines & the EU HTA Regulation in April, which explored the state of play and applicability of the EU HTA Regulation for vaccines focusing on:
- What the unique aspects of vaccines are that require specific attention in joint clinical assessments;
- Why vaccine innovation is so vital and why the applicability of the EU HTA Regulation to vaccines cannot wait any further;
- How the EU HTA Regulation’s processes and methodologies can be adapted to account for vaccines’ specificities.
With the EU HTA Regulation now in force, the webinar discussed the critical need to account for vaccines’ specificities in the implementation of the EU HTA Regulation to optimise their access and impact on public health, economy and society across Europe and globally. The webinar was attended by more than 380 people across Europe, demonstrating the high interest in the topic and the need to act now.
Events we participated in
- Patient Engagement Open Forum - 11 June, Baveno (Italy)
- HERA Industry Days - 2-3 June, Brussels (Belgium)
- BSAC Spring Conference - 15 May, virtual
- 45th EPSA Annual Congress - 14 May, Albi (France)
- International Summit on Vaccine Coding and Standards - 9 May, Bordeaux (France)
- Lifelong vaccination: Health and investment in the future - 23 April, Lisbon (Portugal)
- ESCMID Global 2025 - 14 April, Vienna (Austria)
- BE READY Conference - 9 April, Brussels (Belgium)
Communications Highlights
The power of immunisation for people living with non-communicable diseases
75% of all deaths in the world are caused by non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular disease (CVD). We must employ every available tool to tackle this significant healthcare challenge, including immunisation, which helps prevent and manage NCDs. For example, according to a new report by The Health Policy Partnership and IFPMA, the flu vaccine may reduce the risk of death from stroke by 50% and from heart attack by 45% for people living with CVD. As detailed in this op-ed co-authored by Laetitia Bigger, Director Vaccines Policy at IFPMA, and Sibilia Quilici, Executive Director Vaccines Europe - to address the burden of NCDs through immunisation, we need to:
- Ensure that adult immunisation is at the core of essential NCD care in health care systems
- Include expanded access to vaccines for people living with NCDs
- Build awareness of the importance of immunisation among people living with NCDs
- Track immunisation coverage for people living with NCDs
World & European Immunisation Week
Prevention, including immunisation, is no longer an option, but a strategic imperative for Europe’s resilience and health security. Immunisation is a pillar of public health - protecting against infectious diseases, contributing to preparedness, helping to address global health challenges such as antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and alleviating pressure on healthcare systems. During this year's World and European Immunisation Week, we reiterated the value of immunisation for public health, society and the economy, as well as its role in tackling the health challenges we face. We also emphasised the importance of accurate and timely data and the crucial role of vaccine innovation. Prioritising sustainable long-term investment in prevention is key to ensure Europe can take full advantage of the benefits of immunisation, for a healthier future.
Welcome to our new member
In April 2025, we welcomed Takeda as the newest member of Vaccines Europe. We look forward to working together towards fostering innovation and value recognition of lifecourse immunisation in Europe to protect people against evolving health challenges.
Key Figures
20%
A recent study demonstrated a 20% relative reduction of dementia risk after shingles vaccination
0.5%
In nearly 80% of EU Member States, only 0.5% of health budgets are dedicated to immunisation
Member States Best Practices
Poland
Poland is prioritising disease prevention at all ages
Most Polish parents vaccinate their children, but vaccine scepticism remains a challenge. As experts step up support for life-course immunisation, Vaccines Today looks at the evolution of Poland’s vaccination programme.
Read more here.
Health Policy Highlights
Power Shifts and Future Moves: Inside the Recent Council Decisions
Promoting active ageing and inclusion
On June 5th, the Council of the EU adopted Conclusions on “Supporting Older People in Reaching their Full Potential in the Labour Market and in Society”. With 21.6% of the EU population now aged 65+, the focus is on promoting physical activity and longer employment to address workforce and healthcare system pressures.
Adopted by the EPSCO Council on June 19th, the document urges Member States to extend working lives through delayed retirement, upskilling, job flexibility, and tackling age discrimination. It also promotes intergenerational solidarity and social inclusion.
Vaccines Europe welcomes this progress but stresses that prevention, especially immunisation, is vital. According to a report by The European House - Ambrosetti, every €1 invested in preventive healthcare yields a €14–33 return through reduced treatment costs, increased productivity, and long-term fiscal sustainability. With adult vaccination offering a €19 return per Euro and only 0.5% of healthcare budgets dedicated to it in most Member States, stronger collaboration on immunisation is crucial for a resilient EU.
Council Position on EU Pharmaceutical Policy Reform
On June 4th, the Council published its long-awaited position on the General Pharmaceutical Legislation - one of the most significant reforms in 20 years. The goal is to improve access to affordable medicines, boost EU pharmaceutical competitiveness, and ensure sustainable supply chains.
The Council’s position builds on the European Parliament’s stance and mandates the inclusion of regulatory data protection for innovative medicines for up to eight years, an extension of regulatory market protection for up to a maximum of two years, a requirement for marketing authorisation holders to supply sufficient quantities of medicinal products where needed, and an amendment to the use of transferable exclusivity vouchers, limiting their use to the fifth year of the regulatory data protection period.
However, Vaccines Europe notes gaps remain regarding vaccines.
Vaccines face long delays, with a median time of six years from EU approval to population access, due to additional national reviews. Vaccines are first assessed by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for quality, safety, and efficacy, and once approved, National Immunisation Technical Advisory Groups (NITAGs) review the evidence and provide country-specific recommendations for public immunisation programmes.
It’s essential that the legislation explicitly includes vaccines and supports a coordinated EU strategy to enable timely, equitable access. Policy must match the speed of science to unlock the full public health value of vaccines.
What We Are Reading & Watching
Health as an Economic Imperative - report by Business at OECD
A natural experiment on the effect of herpes zoster vaccination on dementia - research article in Nature
From protection to prevention: The power of immunization for people living with non-communicable diseases - report by The Health Policy Partnership and IFPMA
Vaccinating at every age is key to unlocking the full potential of immunization - article by The World Health Organization
