RIVM sees it as its task to ensure optimal protection of public health against infectious diseases. Vaccination plays an important role in this. To make the best use of vaccination, it is imperative that the government is informed of the key developments in the field of vaccines. The Horizon Scan and the Vaccine Advice Desk (“Loket Vaccinadvies”) are two important instruments for this purpose.
To ensure that the pharmaceutical industry and government to communicate appropriately about vaccine-related topics, the Vaccine Advice Desk has been established as the point of contact for matters regarding vaccination policy in the Netherlands.
The pharmaceutical industry can use the Desk to share (both public and confidential) information on the vaccine products that may be relevant for vaccination policy in the Netherlands. Additionally, they can turn to the Desk with questions for the government about vaccination policy in the Netherlands.
Conversely, the same applies: if the government has questions about vaccine products for which there is no current contract or ongoing tendering procedure, it will direct these questions to the relevant pharmaceutical companies through the Vaccine Advice Desk.
The Vaccine Advice Desk can be reached at loketvaccinadvies@rivm.nl.
The Horizon Scan
The Horizon Scan consists of online meetings that are held a few times a year. In these meetings, pharmaceutical companies present about developmentally advanced vaccine products that could be used in the Netherlands for infectious disease prevention – both in vaccination programmes and as part of for instance insured care.
Thanks to the Horizon Scan, the government gains insight into which vaccines may become available in the near future, as well as their potential impact on public health. This allows the government to respond to developments in a timely fashion and formulate an adequate vaccination policy.
The Horizon Scan meetings are attended by representatives from RIVM, the Health Council of the Netherlands, the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport, National Health Care Institute, the Medicines Evaluation Board, and the Netherlands Pharmacovigilance Centre Lareb. For more information about the Horizon Scan, contact the Vaccine Advice Desk at loketvaccinadvies@rivm.nl.
Content of the Horizon Scan presentations
During a Horizon Scan presentation, pharmaceutical companies share information on the vaccine’s effectivity, effectiveness, safety, and target groups and indications. Every few years, pharmaceutical companies can also provide a pipeline update on the progress made by the other vaccines they are developing. The Horizon Scan is no place for cost-effectiveness analyses; the government uses independent studies for these.