Pharmaceutical industry stresses importance of vaccines in new campaign

The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry represents companies of all sizes who are discovering the medicines and vaccines of the future. They exist to make the UK the best place in the world to research, develop and use new treatments.

Last year they launched their #ValuingVaccines campaign to raise awareness of the role that the pharmaceutical industry plays in developing life-saving vaccines. The campaign focused on explaining how vaccines are developed and the health and economic benefits they bring to society, showcasing the virtues of vaccinations through the use of simple facts and figures presented in images and short films on social media and digital channels including Twitter and LinkedIn.

A #ValuingVaccines website was also created, with content backing the campaign messaging that could be shared among key stakeholders. Now in its second phase, the campaign has launched on Instagram to a wider audience, and addresses vaccine hesitancy and counters misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines. It aims to highlight how vaccination positively impacts people’s lives, the NHS and the economy, and will also showcase their global importance.

The association has also been working closely with stakeholders to ensure that their messaging supports the significant work taking place across the UK to raise the profile of vaccination, including with the government and the medicines regulator, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency. As part of the initiative, they are forming partnerships with representatives from South Asian and Black British communities to support confidence in the COVID-19 vaccine.

Elliot Dunster, the association’s executive director of Corporate Affairs and Devolved Nations, said: “We’re experimenting with new channels and forming new partnerships in this phase of the campaign, which we hope will complement existing public health communications initiatives to increase vaccine confidence.

“Take-up of COVID-19 vaccines is very high, but we know from published research that some people are still hesitant. We look forward to building on the success of the first phase of the campaign and playing our part to support confidence in vaccines across the UK.”

Follow Valuing Vaccines on Instagram: @abpi_uk

Follow ABPI on Twitter: @ABPI_UK

Visit the Valuing Vaccines website: valuingvaccines.org.uk

#ValuingVaccines