On 27 January 2026, the annual meeting was held between experts from the Paul-Ehrlich-Institut (PEI), the Federal Institute for Vaccines and Biomedicines; the Federal Ministry of Health (Bundesministerium für Gesundheit, BMG); the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (Bundesinstitut für Arzneimittel und Medizinprodukte, BfArM); the Robert Koch Institute; and representatives from pharmaceutical companies, pharmaceutical associations, the Federal Association of Pharmaceutical Wholesalers (Bundesverband des pharmazeutischen Großhandels, PHAGRO), and the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians (Kassenärztliche Bundesvereinigung, KBV). In addition to looking back at vaccine supply shortages in 2025, the focus at this year's meeting was also on the influenza vaccine supply for the current 2025/2026 season.
Source: Paul-Ehrlich-Institut
The supply shortage management team at the Paul-Ehrlich-Institut started off the meeting with an overview of statistics and reporting behaviour for vaccine supply shortages last year. There were a total of ten human vaccine shortages in 2025. This shows a continued decline in vaccine supply shortages since 2023. The average duration of shortages has also decreased further: a supply shortage lasted an average of 72 days in 2024 and 45 days in 2025. Pharmaceutical companies are required to submit a supply shortage report if they are unlikely to be able to fulfil typical deliveries for more than two weeks or if there is a significantly increased demand that cannot be adequately met. Healthcare professionals, pharmacies, and private individuals can also submit a report to the Paul-Ehrlich-Institut via an online reporting form if a certain vaccine is not available to them. A total of 16 reports were received by the Paul-Ehrlich-Institut via this consumer reporting form in 2025.
The Paul-Ehrlich-Institut has released around 19.3 million vaccine doses for the 2025/2026 influenza season. No confirmed indications of a widespread vaccine shortage have been submitted to the Paul-Ehrlich-Institut for the current influenza season. This season's pre-order numbers were slightly lower in comparison to last season and the production volumes planned by vaccine manufacturers for the German market were also correspondingly lower. As a result, the Paul-Ehrlich-Institut received an extraordinary number of relatively early sold out notices from manufacturers. These sold out notices indicate that the manufacturer has placed on the market all quantities of vaccine produced on the basis of the pre-orders, including the calculated reserve. In order to meet the additional demand for the 2025/2026 season and to prevent a nationwide shortage, the Paul-Ehrlich-Institut has permitted a marketing authorisation holder, as an exception pursuant to section 10 (1a) and section 11 (1c) of the Medicinal Products Act (Arzneimittelgesetz, AMG), to place the Italian-labelled influenza vaccine Efluelda on the market in Germany until 30 April 2026.
An established system for reporting supply shortages of human vaccines to the Paul-Ehrlich-Institut has been in place since 2015. It helps efficiently to monitor vaccine supply and manage possible supply shortages. Regular exchanges with relevant stakeholders help to alleviate supply shortages and take any necessary actions, such as identifying alternative vaccination options in a timely manner. The annual meetings at the Paul-Ehrlich-Institut between all stakeholders involved in vaccine supply shortage management serve to evaluate what has been achieved so far in order to further optimise the system.
Updated: 28.01.2026
