Measles has learned its worth – Kommersant

After Roszdravnadzor identified the risk of a shortage of a number of popular vaccines, manufacturers managed to increase marginal prices by a maximum of 8.5 times, including for scarce drugs for measles, rubella and mumps. The companies say that the previous cost did not even cover the cost of packaging the drugs. The budget for the purchase of funds within the framework of the National Vaccination Calendar for 2024 will be increased by only 13%, but the Ministry of Health assures that the reserves will be enough for several months.

In November-December, the Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) agreed for Microgen (part of Nacimbio of the Rostec state corporation) to increase by 2.5–8.5 times the maximum prices for 11 vaccines and toxoids against measles, rubella, mumps, diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus and other infections, found “Kommersant” in the department’s materials. These funds are purchased centrally within the framework of the National Preventive Vaccination Calendar (NKPP). In addition, prices for the vaccine against measles from the State Research Center “Vector” and by 27% for the drug against chicken pox from the British GSK were increased by 0.8–4 times. This became possible due to the identification by Roszdravnadzor in October of the risks of defects in these drugs.

Vector did not respond to Kommersant’s request. Nacimbio explained to Kommersant that the production of vaccines for the NKPP was unprofitable for a long time, the previous maximum prices did not exceed 5 rubles. per dose, which did not even cover the cost of packaging, but “the company still met the needs of government customers.” New prices are calculated taking into account the coverage of all production costs as of 2022, Nacimbio clarified. This will make it possible in the future to improve the supply capabilities of Varilrix, the only single vaccine against chickenpox currently sold in Russia, GSK added. Back in 2022, the American MSD announced that it would stop supplying its Varivax product to the Russian Federation, but there were no Russian drugs.

GSK also has a component against chickenpox in another vaccine, Priorix-Tetra, which is also used against measles, rubella and mumps. This product was registered in the Russian Federation back in 2018, but has not yet been supplied. Only in December the Ministry of Health registered its maximum price, as follows from the state register of medicines. Now, GSK told Kommersant, they plan to “supply a limited volume of Priorix-Tetra,” primarily to the private segment. The company explains that the global demand for the vaccine, like Varilrix, exceeds production capabilities, which leads to supply restrictions.

According to Headway Company estimates, for 2023 the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation has concluded contracts for the supply of all types of vaccines worth 22.5 billion rubles for centralized procurement for NKPP. According to analysts, centralized supplies are the main market for the sale of vaccines in the budget market: for example, over the 11 months of 2023, 59% of measles drugs and 98% of mumps drugs were purchased within the framework of the NCPP.

The Ministry of Health told Kommersant that the budget for the purchase of all vaccines for next year will increase to 25.6 billion rubles, but this decision was not influenced by the increase in marginal prices, since such drugs are purchased cheaper “due to large volumes of purchases and long-term contracts.” . The ministry added that existing “across the country” stocks of vaccines for the prevention of measles cover almost two months of need, for whooping cough – two-thirds of the annual need, and for chickenpox there are more than 100 thousand packages.

The fact of increasing marginal prices is very important for manufacturers and in any case will influence the formation of the initial contract price, says Nikolay Bespalov, development director at RNC Pharma. According to him, prices for vaccines have not changed noticeably for many years, and if the FAS agreed to increase them many times, then the companies “have probably reached critical production cost levels.”

Polina Gritsenko