Emer Currie (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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989. To ask the Minister for Health whether any research has been carried out to comparing the findings of Ireland’s health technology assessment, HTA, for the shingles vaccine to the HTAs carried out in the 15 counties in Europe that have shingles national immunisation programmes; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [62913/25]

Emer Currie (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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990. To ask the Minister for Health whether her Department has examined additional factors considered by European counties outside of HTAs in making their decision to launch their shingles national immunisation programmes; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [62914/25]

Emer Currie (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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991. To ask the Minister for Health the estimated cost of including the shingles vaccine as part of the national immunisation programme for over 70s; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [62915/25]

Emer Currie (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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992. To ask the Minister for Health the estimated cost of including the shingles vaccine as part of the national immunisation programme for over 60s; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [62916/25]

Emer Currie (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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993. To ask the Minister for Health the estimated cost of including the shingles vaccine as part of the national immunisation programme for over 50s; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [62917/25]

Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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1152. To ask the Minister for Health whether she plans to provide the shingles vaccine to older people free of charge; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [64015/25]

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 989 to 993, inclusive, and 1152 together.

The immunisation programme in Ireland is based on the advice of the National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC). NIAC considers the prevalence of the relevant disease in Ireland as well as international best practice in relation to immunisation when developing its advice.

The current NIAC guidelines state that the shingles vaccine may be considered in those aged 65 years and older, due to the greater burden and severity of disease in this age group and in those aged 18 years and older at increased risk of shingles.

The Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) has carried out a Health Technology Assessment (HTA) on the herpes zoster vaccine which protects against shingles. A HTA is a multidisciplinary research process that collects and summarises information about a health technology. HIQA’s HTA examined the evidence on the clinical effectiveness and safety of shingles vaccines. The cost effectiveness and budget impact were also reviewed, along with the ethical, social and organisational implications of including the vaccine in the adult immunisation schedule.

HIQA published this HTA on 19 July 2024. The HTA found that adding the shingles vaccine to the routine immunisation schedule, at the vaccine price at the time, for all adults aged 65 years and over would not be cost effective and would be associated with a substantial budget impact.

While the vaccine is considered safe and effective, its protective effect diminishes over time. HIQA also noted the substantial budget impact associated with vaccination.

At the time the HIQA HTA was published in 2024, vaccination against shingles was recommended and publicly funded in five countries in the EU and partially funded in two. HTAs were conducted in Belgium and Sweden. Both HTAs found that routine immunisation against shingles was not an efficient use of resources at the estimated vaccine price. To date, I understand that neither country has funded shingles vaccination

A decision on whether or not to introduce a specific immunisation programme is based on many factors, including the burden of disease on individuals and the health service, the clinical effectiveness and safety of the vaccine, and the cost-effectiveness and budget impact of the programme. Successful price negotiation can also have an important impact on decision making. The price paid for the vaccine is generally confidential, so it is not known what price reductions may have been achieved in individual countries.

HIQA advise that the HTA assessed costs based on a vaccine price of €151 per dose ex-VAT, plus €25 per dose to administer the injection. The estimated cost of including the shingles vaccine as part of the national immunisation programme for over 50s, over 60s, and over 70s was not reported in the HIQA HTA. The HIQA HTA estimates were based on providing the vaccine to people turning 50, turning 60, and turning 70. The estimated five year cost was €76.8 million for those turning 50, €61.2 million for those turning 60, and €45.4 million for those turning 70.

Vaccinating everyone over a given age would increase the cost substantially. For example, vaccinating people turning 65 years of age would cost €53.3 million over five years, while vaccinating everyone aged 65 and over would cost €218 million over five years.

Whilst the HTA found that the introduction of the shingles vaccine was not cost effective based on the cost of the vaccine, it found that it could be cost effective for vaccination of those at 75 years and 80 years if the cost of the vaccine was reduced by 80%.

Given that the healthcare budget is finite and decisions regarding increased spending relating to a change in one area could impact the provision of other health technologies and treatments within the healthcare system, the cost-effectiveness must be considered in any decision-making process.

My Department considered the findings of this HTA and determined that the introduction of the vaccine could be reconsidered when the cost effectiveness of the vaccine is confirmed as being more favourable.