Vaccines: A Potential Key to Unlock Many of Canada’s Healthcare Challenges

This featured blog was provided by our partners at GSK.

For years, experts have lamented Canada’s “sick care system” has been built to treat illness rather than prevent disease. And while Canada has moved beyond the processes and protocols associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, we continue to face looming public health threats, including a surge in cases of vaccine preventable diseases and increasing antimicrobial resistance (AMR) posing a lethal threat to formerly manageable infections.

These challenges and more – compounded with an aging population in Canada – are putting tremendous pressure on health care systems. Not only is this costly for health care systems and the economy, but it also impacts the quality of life and longevity of Canadians.

Organizations like biopharma company GSK are working hard to harness the power of science and technology to develop innovative solutions that enable Canadians to get ahead of disease. By prioritizing prevention and early intervention, GSK and others aim to not only prevent illness from occurring in the first place but also limit complications associated with diseases and slow the spread of AMR.

Immunization is arguably one of the most important and cost-effective public health innovations. In fact, immunization has saved more lives in Canada than any other health intervention and has contributed to the reduction in morbidity and mortality in adults, children and other vulnerable populations.”[1]

Yet despite scientific and medical advances in the development of disease-preventing vaccines, and clear recommendations put forward by Canada’s National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI), public funding of recommended adult immunizations across Canada is patchy and inconsistent.[2] The current system is underserving adults, and the Canadian population over the age of 65 is projected to continue to grow which will only exacerbate the issue.[3]

For too long, governments have treated immunization as a budgetary cost, rather than an upstream investment in prevention. And that may be in part because it’s been difficult to quantify what exactly that investment yields. Until now.

In Fall 2024, the Adult Vaccines Alliance published a study[4] conducted by IQVIA which set out to better understand the value of vaccines[5] in Canada by quantifying the return on investment (ROI). The findings were staggering:

• For every dollar invested in adult vaccination, there is more than three times (341%) value returned in health and economic benefits.
• Adult vaccines have a major impact on Canada’s economy, currently saving over $2.5 billion annually in unnecessary health care costs and lost economic productivity.
• For every dollar invested in adult vaccination, there is more than three times (341%) value returned in health and economic benefits.
  Adult vaccines have a major impact on Canada’s economy, currently saving over $2.5 billion annually in unnecessary health care costs and lost economic productivity.

Despite these findings and acknowledgement by governments of the benefits of vaccines[5], two separate recent reports found that routine vaccine procurement accounts for only 0.2% of total public healthcare spending in Canada.[6][7]

At a time when governments are working tirelessly to sustain access and build resiliency for their healthcare systems, immunization against infectious diseases that can result in a significant reduction in doctor visits, prescription medicines, and hospitalization is a very cost-effective, yet underutilized tool in the toolbox.[8]

In parallel with the federal government’s efforts to improve access to medications for Canadians, federal funding to improve access to NACI-recommended adult vaccines would be an evidence-based investment rather than a cost to government, and a positive shift toward prevention.

More than ever, getting ahead of disease is the best investment – for patients, communities, health systems, the environment, and the economy.

Disclosure: GSK is a member of the Adult Vaccines Alliance

[1] Get Immunized – Canada.ca

[2] iqvia-institute-trends-in-global-vaccination-covid-07-23-forweb.pdf (globalcoalitiononaging.com)

[3] BIOTECanada_Vaccine-Funding-and-Access-Gap_Final-Report_May-2023.pdf (biotech.ca)

[4] Counting the impact of vaccines (who.int)

[5] Learn about Immunization | immunizecanada

[6] adult-vaccines-access-report.pdf (gsk.com)

[7] https://www.fraserinstitute.org/blogs/canadas-aging-population-what-does-it-mean-for-government-finances#:~:text=In%202010%2C%2014.1%20per%20cent,65%20and%20up)%20is%20falling

[8] The Unmet Value of Vaccines in Canada – IQVIA Study — Adult Vaccine Alliance – Alliance Vaccins pour Adultes