Inside EU Health: EU vaccine deal to 'healthocide' in Gaza

It is that time of year again: leaves are falling, the air is turning colder, and it is time to book seasonal vaccines. In Belgium, it is possible to arrange flu and COVID vaccinations directly through local pharmacies, making the process quick and convenient. Your intrepid reporter provides proof that she's had her jabs, see below.

A man in a hurry: EU Health Commissioner Várhelyi aims to get the Pharma Package, Critical Medicines Act, reform medical device rules, introduce a Biotech Act to speed clinical trials, and launch a cardiovascular health plan over the line, before the end of the year. He argues that simplifying regulation and boosting health innovation will not only improve care but also strengthen Europe’s economy and social cohesion, with health funding receiving a major boost in the EU budget. Read more here.

Healthocide in Gaza: Gaza’s health system lies in ruins after two years of war and siege with nearly all hospitals damaged or destroyed, and thousands of medical workers have been killed. Around 42,000 civilians, many of whom are children, have been left with life-changing injuries such as amputations. The damage to civil infrastructure and the destruction of most residential property also have health consequences. As we see the hope of a cessation in the violence, the recovery will require decades of rebuilding, retraining, and long-term commitment. In the meantime, WHO has asked all countries to step up in assisting with medical evacuations, but so far there have only been 321 evacuations supported by the EU. Read more here.

EU vaccine deal: On Friday, the European Commission’s Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA) signed a joint procurement contract with Spanish pharmaceutical company HIPRA to supply four million doses of its protein-based COVID-19 vaccine Bimervax®, adapted to the LP.8.1 variant, ahead of the 2025–2026 winter season. The vaccine was developed and is made in Europe. Read more here. Speaking of immunology...

What we’ve been reading... and listening to

Drug-pricing in Trumpian times: Many European health ministers may be concerned about pressures on medicine prices under Trump’s threats to “deploy every tool” to reduce prices, see here.

On STAT’s ‘Read Out Loud’ podcast, Stacie Dusetzina, a health services researcher at Vanderbilt University, said: “There’s a lot of reference pricing that goes on in European markets. One [country] sets a price, and then the others reference based on that price. So it is a little bit more difficult to manipulate the list price than you might guess.”

Dusetzina emphasized that the real prices paid after discounts and rebates are not the same as the list prices. She noted that companies could increase list prices abroad to appear closer to US prices without changing the actual cost: “In reality, Europe is not likely to pay any more. It would just be kind of the sticker price that goes up rather than the real price”. Treasuries across Europe are hoping this is right. Listen here.

Proof of vaccination: