Government authorizes contracts for the supply of flu vaccines for children and the general public – Spain

Government committee approves supply contracts for a drug for bronchiolitis and another for a rare disease

A government committee on Friday approved a prior authorization for the health minister so she can authorize and dispose of the cost of deferred documents to purchase flu shots for the general public and children.

These are inactivated vaccines, produced from virus grown in embryonated eggs, split virus or surface antigens (H and N) or similar, containing 15 micrograms of hemagglutinin per strain (lot 1).

Spending items for 2023 amount to 914,160 euros, according to regional government spokesman Antoni Costa at a press conference.

Spending on another batch of influenza vaccines (Batch 3) was also approved, two of which (2023 and 2024) cost €1.8 million each.

The Board of Public Health approved the inclusion of influenza vaccination in the program for all children 6 to 59 months of age. The regimen is a single dose, with the exception of children with certain risk conditions, who will receive two doses.

The government committee also approved spending authorizations for childhood vaccines in 2023 and 2024, each costing €423,737.

On the other hand, the Public Health Board approved the shingles subunit vaccine on March 25, 2021 as part of the official vaccination schedule for age 65, as the older population is revaccinated. People 18 years of age and older with certain high-risk conditions can also get vaccinated.

In this sense, the government committee has approved the authorization of the Minister of Health to purchase the shingles vaccine for 2023 and 2024, to be distributed in three installments totaling 11.3 million euros.

Drugs for Rare Diseases

Also on Friday, a government committee authorized the director-general of the Directorate General of Health Services to award contracts for the supply of eculizumab to hospital centers in the Balearic Islands, estimated to be worth 6.7 million euros.

Eculizumab is indicated for patients with rare diseases such as paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH), a disorder caused by defects in blood cell membranes that can lead to blood clots and kidney and lung failure; o SARS type hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS), which is characterized by renal failure, hemolytic anemia, and coagulation defects.

The contract is valid for 12 months from the date of formal signing and can be extended for a maximum of 12 months.

Drugs to treat bronchiolitis

On the other hand, the government committee has previously authorized the Minister of Health to sign a supply contract for nirsevimab monoclonal antibody, estimated to be worth 5.5 million euros.

Nirsevimab is indicated for passive immunization against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), the cause of most infantile bronchiolitis and more than half of all hospitalizations and ICU admissions for respiratory disease in children under 6 months of age.

It is also associated with bacterial respiratory disease and subsequent overactive bronchi and asthma.

The Board of Public Health approved the issuance of a recommendation to include all children 6 months of age or born during the virus transmission season (October to March) in the RSV immunization schedule. The treatment regimen is a single dose, with the exception of children with certain risk conditions, who must receive two doses.

In view of the need to have sufficient doses of nirsevimab to start immunization campaigns on October 1, 2023, the Minister of Health announced by a resolution the disposal of this emergency supply contract.

The contract is initially valid until June 30, 2024, and can be extended for up to two years.