Most European countries have experienced more than one wave of COVID-19 infections. Lockdown and social distancing measures implemented to control the infection rates have resulted in a significant contraction in European economies. It is expected that several months or even years will be required for economies to regain their pre-pandemic levels.
COVID-19 vaccines have emerged as a key tool against the pandemic with several candidates achieving emergency or conditional approval. The focus on quickly developing COVID-19 vaccines has meant that countries and supranational bodies have made substantial investments in funding manufacturers to develop candidates in an accelerated manner, as well as in striking advance purchase agreements and procuring supply when available. For example, in the UK alone, the cost of five such procurement deals, for up to 267 million doses, was expected to be £2.9bn.
In January 2021, CRA conducted a survey with 20 payers from France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK. In this article published in PM360, Eva Marchese, Abhishek Kumar and Kees Chamberlain explore their expectations around the pandemic’s impact on healthcare budgets and measures likely to be taken to close the funding gap.
