VacciNation: a vision for UK immunisation

24/09/2020

Pfizer Vaccines
Pfizer UK

Could a new approach to prevention create a healthier and more resilient Britain? Today, Pfizer has launched ‘VacciNation’ - a vision for protecting the health, wealth and resilience of the UK by unlocking the personal and societal value of vaccines at every stage of life.

VacciNation sets out a series of thought-provoking ideas to address systemic challenges in the use of, and access to, life-changing and life-saving vaccines, while cementing the UK’s position at the forefront of research and innovation.

These ideas are focused on achieving three priorities:

Maximising the value that vaccination can deliver to the nation’s health and the UK economy
Unleashing the potential of vaccination across society to tackle major health challenges, regardless of age
Making vaccination a priority across the NHS

The UK has a long-standing and proud heritage in vaccine development. VacciNation highlights the potential to build on this legacy and secure the UK’s position as a global leader in preventative healthcare well into the future.

Many major health economies prioritise investment in medicines and cures to treat ill health over keeping people well. Today in the UK, we spend £97 billion a year on treating diseases and only £8 billion on preventing them.¹ VacciNation calls for a rebalance, allowing us to better understand the longer-term and lifelong benefits of vaccination in maintaining population health and reducing health inequalities, as well as realising significant economic value.²

VacciNation also highlights the potential for the NHS to make vaccination a priority. One of the opportunities is to put adult vaccinations on a par with childhood vaccinations, helping us better meet the demands of a growing and ageing population, and protecting some of the most vulnerable from disease.

VacciNation sets out how a population better protected from disease is within our reach. Vaccination has saved more lives and prevented more serious diseases than any advance in recent medical history.^3,4 In fact, only clean water rivals vaccines at reducing infectious diseases and deaths.⁵ Unlocking the full potential of vaccination at all stages of life is an opportunity too important to miss. In the last year in England, just 1 in 8 65 year olds were immunised against pneumonia.⁶ And while those between 70-79 are eligible for vaccination against shingles, by the age of 76, around 1 in 4 are still unvaccinated.⁷ There is a need to take urgent action to equip individuals with the right information, as well as provide easy, convenient access to improve uptake of all recommended vaccinations across society."

Dr Gillian Ellsbury, Vaccines Medical Director, Pfizer UK & Ireland

With the release of VacciNation today, Pfizer is looking to build strong, collaborative partnerships to support the UK in tackling the challenges faced by the NHS and to deliver a new generation of innovative vaccines to support health throughout life.