Norway faces a stark health equity crisis as the shingles vaccine remains priced at 5,000 kroner ($450) while officials debate public funding. The Norwegian Institute of Public Health (FHI) recommended Monday that all adults receive two doses at age 65, but implementation depends on budget approval that could take months.
Pharmacy demand has exploded after a Nature study showed the vaccine reduces dementia risk by 20 percent, creating shortages nationwide. Producer GSK struggles to meet Norwegian orders, leaving many unable to access doses even if they can afford them.
Political pressure mounts on Labour government
The Progress Party (Frp) is pushing for immediate budget inclusion, having proposed shingles vaccination programs in May 2024. Health spokesperson Kristian August Eilertsen told Dagbladet the party allocated funds in their alternative budget, "but it was voted down by the Labour Party and tutti-frutti parties."
Frp now expects the government to address funding in the revised spring budget. "The last thing we want is a situation where a class divide is created between those who can afford a vaccine like this and those who cannot," Eilertsen said, pointing to particular risks for elderly and immunocompromised Norwegians.
Health Minister Jan Christian Vestre (Labour) faces growing pressure to act quickly. His ministry received FHI's assessment but says changes to adult vaccination programs happen through "ordinary budget processes" - ministry response that suggests no emergency funding.
Cost-effectiveness paradox blocks approval
FHI's recommendation comes with a crucial caveat: the vaccine is "not cost-effective at today's price," according to Health Talk. This creates a policy paradox where health authorities recommend a treatment they acknowledge is overpriced.
The vaccine provides strong protection for 10-11 years against shingles, a painful skin condition caused by reactivated chickenpox virus. Recent research suggests broader benefits, inclUDIng reduced cardiovascular disease risk alongside the dementia protection that sparked current demand.
Immunologist Anne Spurkland at the University of Oslo called the dementia study "convincing," but the 5,000-kroner price tag puts protection out of reach for many pensioners. Private vaccination creates exactly the health inequality Norway's universal system was designed to prevent.
What happens next
Frp will force a Storting vote on emergency funding if Labour delays past the spring budget revision. The political cost of wealthy Norwegians buying dementia protection while pensioners go without will destroy any party that blocks coverage.
Read more: Norway's Conservative Party Votes to Scrap Wealth Tax Entire....
Read more: Høyre Votes to Fully Abolish Norway's Wealth Tax.