As Europe prepares for another respiratory virus season, healthcare systems gear up with new tools and stronger prevention strategies than ever before. Among the most significant recent developments is the European Commission's joint procurement agreement for RSV vaccines, designed to help participating countries strengthen protection ahead of future winter seasons. The four-year framework contract gives participating countries access to up to 24 million vaccine doses and allows them to purchase only the quantities they need. The initiative aims to improve vaccine availability for vulnerable populations, strengthen winter preparedness, and help reduce pressure on healthcare services during peak respiratory virus seasons.
The growing burden of RSV in Europe
Every year, Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is a major contributor to the burden of respiratory tract infections (RTI) across Europe, which places considerable pressure on patients, families, and healthcare systems. The impact is particularly visible at both ends of the age spectrum. Each RTI season, RSV is associated with around 250,000 hospitalisations among children under five across Europe (Del Riccio et al., 2023). Among adults, more than 158,000 RSV-related hospitalisations occur annually in the EU, 92% of which affect people aged 65 years and older (Osei-Yeboah et al., 2023).
Hospitalisation due to RSV can be highly disruptive, particularly for infants, older adults, and their families. Beyond the physical and emotional toll on patients, these admissions place a significant financial burden on healthcare systems. In France, RSV-related hospitalisations among infants under one year of age are associated with annual costs exceeding €130 million annually (EPIBREATHE Study). In Italy, hospitalisations are estimated to account for 62% of total RSV-related costs, which underlines the significant pressure RSV places on healthcare resources (Economic and Clinical Burden Associated with Respiratory Syncytial Virus and Impact of Universal Immunization with Nirsevimab in Italy).
Given these facts, it is easy to understand why RSV prevention has become a growing priority across Europe. Until recently, healthcare systems have had limited options to protect vulnerable populations. However, major scientific advances over the last few years have transformed the prevention landscape, which gives countries new opportunities to act before seasonal outbreaks.
Across Europe, different approaches have emerged. The UK introduced maternal vaccination programmes to help protect newborns, while Spain and the Netherlands implemented infant immunisation strategies using long-acting monoclonal antibodies. These interventions have demonstrated positive results in clinical studies, and early real-world evidence from Spain and the UK suggests they can substantially reduce RSV-related hospitalisations among infants (Martyn et al., 2026). Despite these encouraging results, no single implementation model has emerged across Europe.
From national initiatives to European action
Against this backdrop, the European Commission recently signed a joint procurement framework contract which enables participating countries to access up to 24 million RSV vaccine doses over the next four years. Initiated at the request of six countries, the agreement aims to strengthen preparedness for future RSV seasons and reflects the growing recognition of RSV as an important public health challenge across Europe. The European Commission also highlighted the potential of RSV prevention to reduce severe disease such as bronchiolitis and pneumonia (About RSV, n.d.), ease peak pressure on healthcare services, and help reduce unnecessary antibiotic use associated with respiratory infections (Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority, 2026).
The announcement of this agreement marks an important milestone for RSV prevention in Europe. It marks a move away from preparing healthcare systems for predictable RSV-related strain toward preventing the outbreaks that create that strain in the first place. However, access to vaccines is only the first step. The next one is to determine which prevention strategies deliver the greatest impact.
Beyond Implementation: identifying the most effective strategies
The expansion of RSV prevention programmes presents a unique opportunity to learn from real-world healthcare data. Healthcare leaders and policymakers need to understand how these interventions perform once they are implemented in routine practice and what impact they have on patients and healthcare systems. In other words, RWE can help answer important questions such as:
The new procurement agreement is a significant step forward and reflects a strong commitment to reduce the burden of RSV across Europe. The next opportunity is to measure its impact, identify best practices, and ensure that prevention strategies deliver meaningful and sustainable benefits where they matter most: in real-world clinical practice.
About RSV. (n.d.). Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection (RSV). https://www.cdc.gov/rsv/about/index.html
Economic and clinical burden associated with respiratory syncytial virus and impact of universal immunization with nirsevimab in Italy. (n.d.). https://journals.aboutscience.eu/index.php/grhta/article/download/3182/3891?inline=1
Epidemiology and economic burden of hospitalizations attributable to Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) infection among infants in France, 2016 to 2023 – EPIBREATHE study. (n.d.). springermedizin.de. https://www.springermedizin.de/epidemiology-and-economic-burden-of-hospitalizations-attributabl/51740434
Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority. (2026, July 9). Commission signs joint procurement contract for vaccines to strengthen protection ahead of the 2026-2027 winter season. Public Health. https://health.ec.europa.eu/latest-updates/commission-signs-joint-procurement-contract-vaccines-strengthen-protection-ahead-2026-2027-winter-2026-07-09_en
Martyn, O., Kramer, R., Mari, K., Donkers, E., Deuring, J. J., & Faust, S. N. (2026). P-1489. Evaluating the public health impact of infant RSV prophylaxis programs in Spain and the UK: results from the ongoing REACH study. Open Forum Infectious Diseases, 13(Supplement_1). https://doi.org/10.1093/ofid/ofaf695.1673
Osei-Yeboah, R., Spreeuwenberg, P., Del Riccio, M., Fischer, T. K., Egeskov-Cavling, A. M., Bøås, H., Van Boven, M., Wang, X., Lehtonen, T., Bangert, M., Campbell, H., Paget, J., Nair, H., Campbell, H., Beutels, P., Bont, L., Pollard, A., Openshaw, P., Martinon-Torres, F., . . . Molero, E. (2023). Estimation of the number of respiratory Syncytial Virus–Associated hospitalizations in adults in the European Union. The Journal of Infectious Diseases, 228(11), 1539–1548. https://doi.org/10.1093/infdis/jiad189