Study: Purchase price for vaccines in the Finnish national vaccination programme is affordable compared to other European countries
The purchase price for vaccines in the Finnish national vaccination programme has been low as compared to that of other European countries. In 2016, the price of the most common vaccines in European vaccination programmes per vaccinated child ranged from EUR 59 in Finland to EUR 427 in Switzerland. The information is based on a survey conducted by THL.
In most European countries, including Finland, vaccines are tax-funded and nationally procured. The purchase prices in these countries were lower than in Switzerland or Germany, for example, where vaccines are funded under the health insurance scheme. The prices of the most common vaccines in paediatric vaccination programmes were five times higher in Switzerland and seven times higher in Germany than in Finland.
The price comparison covered vaccines that protect children against a total of eight or nine different pathogens. Vaccines against tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis, polio, measles, rubella, mumps, and diseases caused by Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) were included in the vaccination programmes of all countries. Some countries used the 6-in-1 vaccine, which also protects against hepatitis B virus, instead of the 5-in-1 vaccine.
Finland's vaccination programme one of the most extensive
The Finnish paediatric vaccination programme protects children against a total of 13 different pathogens. In addition to the aforementioned diseases, the programme also includes vaccines against rotavirus diarrhoea, chickenpox, influenza, pneumococcal diseases, and papillomavirus diseases.
In Finland, vaccines in the national vaccination programme are paid for by the state, and the price is determined through competitive tendering. Vaccines are procured without intermediaries and tendered every 2–3 years.
In 2023, the vaccination costs per fully vaccinated child amounted to EUR 253 in Finland. The figure covers all vaccines included in the paediatric vaccination programme, except influenza.
Publication
Heini Salo, Milda Sakalauskaite, Daniel Levy-Bruhl, Ann Lindstrand, Palle Valentiner-Branth, Ole Wichmann, Taneli Puumalainen. Prices of paediatric vaccines in European vaccination programmes. Vaccine: X 2023.
Additional information
Finnish national vaccination programme (THL)
Procurement of vaccines included in the national vaccination programme (THL, in Finnish)
Heini Salo
Senior Researcher
THL
[email protected]
tel. +358 29 524 8958
