European excellence

Vaccine science and industry need to remain strong in Europe

Did you know

A wealth of expertise is needed and should be maintained in Europe to innovate, develop and produce highly technical and complex vaccines

More than 80% of vaccine doses produced by the major R&D-led pharmaceutical companies are produced in Europe⁷. These are vaccines of the highest quality which can protect people worldwide

EU-based vaccine manufacturers cooperate with a wide range of stakeholders, through health-focused public-private partnerships (PPPs) to contribute to the development of novel vaccines

What Europe can do

Increase investment in primary prevention in order to keep people healthy for longer periods of time

Facilitate early dialogue with developers, national policy-makers and regulators in order to support the authorisation of innovative vaccines, including for emerging health threats

Enhance the mechanisms to support vaccine R&D and develop new incentives for unmet medical needs, to tackle global health threats such as AMR, or severe epidemic outbreaks of diseases since vaccines have proven to be an effective public health tool in this area

Foster the creation of National Immunization Technical Advisory Groups’ (NITAGs) network and collaboration to increase transparency, reduce duplications and minimise inefficient resources spending on vaccines development to encourage innovation and positively impact citizens’ access

Leverage the IPROVE roadmap¹, the first strategic European roadmap outlining the science and technology investments required for vaccines innovation, and launch a multi-stakeholder reflection to implement the priorities agreed and define the research agenda for vaccines and vaccine technologies of the future²

The European vaccine industry is working with stakeholders to ensure that safe, effective and innovative vaccines are available to European citizens. Maintaining and protecting its European home is of utmost importance to all European citizens and their wellbeing. Through investments into new manufacturing plants in numerous EU Member States, vaccine companies continue to show their strong commitment to Europe.

Vaccines are an important tool in the fight against antimicrobial resistance

Did you know

It is estimated that 33.000 deaths in Europe every year are attributed to antibiotic resistant bacteria³, raising the risk of even more people dying from diseases which we thought were curable

Vaccines can reduce the need for using antimicrobials by reducing:

the incidence rate of infectious disease and illnesses caused by AMR bacteria in particular
the utilisation of antimicrobials to treat bacterial complications of viral infections, and
the rate of antibiotics misuse for viral infections⁴

What Europe can do

Foster the use of existing vaccines by integrating life-course vaccination planning into national action plans and secure the appropriate vaccination uptake for the fight against AMR

Support development of innovative vaccines against emerging health threats and AMR pathogens

The 2017 Commission Action Plan on antimicrobial resistance (AMR)⁵ and the Joint Action on AMR and Healthcare-Associated Infections⁶ highlight the important role vaccines have in the fight against AMR. Both need strong political support to keep them on the forefront of EU-wide action.

Revisit the 2004 EU Regulation establishing a European Centre for disease prevention and control in order to enhance the role of the ECDC.

Sources:
1. Vaccines Europe (2018). Statement on the EU Council Recommendation on strengthening cooperation against vaccine-preventable diseases. Available here (Accessed: 15th December 2018)
2. Vaccines Europe (2017). Potential labelling/packaging improvements to facilitate vaccine supply. Available here (Accessed: 15th September 2018)
3. Vaccines Europe (2016). The European Vaccine Industry in Figures. Available here (Accessed: 25th September 2018)
4. ECDC (2017). Immunisation Information Systems in the EU and EEA. Available here Accessed: (7th November 2018)
5. Council of the European Union (2017) Draft Council conclusions on Health in the Digital Society – making progress in data-driven innovation in the field of health. Available here (Accessed: 5th January 2019)
6. Council of the EU (2018). Council Recommendation on strengthened cooperation against vaccine-preventable diseases. Available here (Accessed: 15th January 2019)
7. Vaccines Europe (2016). The European Vaccine Industry in Figures. Available here (Accessed: 25th September 2018)