Polish pharma employers urge candidates ‘commit to European Vaccination Strategy’

Poland’s pharma employers are using the EU elections to push Polish candidates to commit to implementing the European Vaccination Strategy for 2024-2029. 

Although healthcare is usually infrequently discussed in the Polish election campaign, INFARMA – the Employers’ Union of Innovative Pharmaceutical Companies is leveraging the moment to bring healthcare to the attention of voters and candidates.

The primary goal of INFARMA’s strategy is to build an innovative, healthy, and prosperous Poland and Europe, by strengthening the protection of societies against infectious diseases for which vaccines are available.

“We emphasise the mission of building an innovative, healthy, and prosperous Europe. We also highlight that achieving this requires a reliable, cohesive strategy implemented both at the national level and across the entire European Union,” Michał Byliniak, General Director of INFARMA, told Euractiv.

Role of vaccination

Vaccination is key to achieving herd immunity against infectious diseases in both Poland and the European Union. Vaccinations save lives, reduce illness, and protect the health of people in Europe and around the world. This is why they should play a crucial role in building more resilient and sustainable healthcare systems, says INFARMA.

However, in its appeal, INFARMA highlights the challenges related to the spread of both existing and emerging threats, influenced by factors such as ageing populations, climate change, and geopolitical instability.

Despite these challenges, data indicate that since 2000, the number of clinical trials for vaccines conducted in the European Union has decreased by 35%.

While vaccinations have been instrumental in eliminating several serious threats over the years, there are still many diseases for which no vaccines are currently available.

Currently, 46% of the vaccines under development target such diseases and could potentially eliminate some of these infections.

According to experts from Vaccines Europe, innovation plays a crucial role in the discovery and introduction of new vaccines and in ensuring access to them. Developing safe, effective vaccines that meet the current needs of societies requires a well-functioning, innovative system focused on research, development, and production.

INFARMA reports that presently, only 10% of the vaccines available in Poland are produced domestically, and none of these can be categorised as innovative.

“In Poland, unfortunately, refusals of mandatory childhood vaccinations are increasing dramatically each year. Just last year, over 87,000 refusals were reported, whereas a decade ago, in 2014, this number did not exceed 13,000,” said Byliniak.

He added that adult vaccination schedules have yet to be developed at the institutional level. “We must strengthen the protection of all generations against diseases for which vaccines are available,” he remarked.

European Vaccination Strategy

In response to these challenges, Vaccines Europe has prepared the European Vaccination Strategy for 2024-2029. INFARMA has sent materials regarding this strategy to all candidates for the European Parliament.

Adam Jarubas, an incumbent MEP (EPP) at the European Parliament and a candidate for the next term, told Euractiv: “Unfortunately, in recent years, we seem to have forgotten how dangerous these diseases are, and as a result of declining vaccination rates in Europe, diseases that seemed to be problems of the past, such as measles, are returning.”

Jarubas also emphasised that vaccination issues should be managed by EU member states, which should regulate their safety. The EU should support these efforts, responding to needs and providing support where collective action is more effective than individual efforts. 

Vaccination differences across Europe

Currently, there are significant differences between member states in the level of protection their citizens have against various diseases. INFARMA points out that in Poland, the vaccination rate for the youngest children against pneumococci is very high, ranging between 94.3% and 96.5% for children born between 2017 and 2022.

In many European countries, such as Germany and the Czech Republic, this rate is lower. Significant disparities are evident for almost all infections.

For instance, in Sweden, 83% of 15-year-old girls have received a double dose of the HPV vaccine, whereas in Bulgaria, this percentage is only 2%.

“In Poland, the HPV vaccination program only began in 2023, the latest start among all EU countries, so we are still awaiting estimates,” notes INFARMA.

Differences also exist in the time it takes various countries to introduce new vaccines. On average, it takes six years from the approval of a vaccine by the EMA to its availability to the public, but in countries like Belgium, Germany, and Denmark, this period is less than two years.

In contrast, Poland is one of the countries with the longest wait times for new vaccines in vaccination programs: 15 years for the HPV vaccine and 12 years for the rotavirus and Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) vaccines.

This highlights the need for a reliable, cohesive strategy implemented both at the national level and across the European Union. Such a strategy could not only more effectively address public health challenges but also help reduce disparities between countries.

[By Paulina Mozolewska, edited by Vasiliki Angouridi, Brian Maguire| Euractiv’s Advocacy Lab]]

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