NHS patients should benefit from new measures to improve access to vaccines and not just drugs

3 March 2009

UVIG welcomes the package of measures announced today from Lord Darzi and NICE to improve access to new drugs and treatments for NHS patients. However, UVIG is disappointed that similar measures for the review and recommendation of vaccines have not been announced.

UVIG does not question the quality of the decisions made by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) rather it is concerned with improving the process such that it will keep pace with the extensive research and development into new vaccines.

Specifically UVIG is calling for reform in four areas:

1. Understanding the Government’s vaccine priorities and strategy: publishing the public health agenda for the UK and establishing a formal horizon scanning process to keep pace with research and development.

2. Greater stakeholder interaction: in line with other similar organisations there needs to be opportunity for consultation with all stakeholders, including an option to present evidence to the JCVI itself.

3. Greater clarity around the economic evidence base: the requirements for Health Economic data, including societal benefits, need to be made clear

4. Expanded publication of JCVI material and deliberations: the JCVI should publish its processes and timelines; earlier publication of meeting agendas and minutes; and make public the rationale for vaccine recommendations.

The NHS Constitution for England affords patients the same right to access to vaccines as drugs. In this context UVIG calls upon Lord Darzi to support the reform of the process that reviews vaccines for use on the NHS. The public health benefits of vaccines are proven yet the process for review and recommendation can be slow with long gaps between licensing and availability on the NHS.

Change now will help to deliver timely access to vaccines for the UK population. The Chief Medical Officer has called for a “streamlined process” to expedite the benefits of vaccination for the population. If manufacturers, and others, are better informed and better understand the UK’s priorities and processes, there is likely to be greater alignment between vaccine development and the Government’s plans, delivering clear public health benefits.

Notes:

• For more information on the UVIG position please contact: alison@uvig.org

• The UK Vaccine Industry Group represents those companies that manufacture and supply vaccines to the UK. Its members are Baxter, GSK, Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics, Sanofi Pasteur MSD, Solvay Healthcare and Wyeth.

NHS Constitution for England: the NHS belongs to us all. http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Healthcare/NHSConstitution/index.htm
On the State of Public Health: Chief Medical Officers 2007 Annual Report http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/AnnualReports/DH_086176