Report on the sale of the vaccine production of the state-owned Statens Serum Institut

24-01-2018

Report no. 8/2017

The purpose of the study is to assess whether the basis for decision elaborated by the Ministry of Health and its preparation and implementation of the sale of the vaccine production unit were satisfactory.  

It is Rigsrevisionen's assessment that the Ministry of Health's basis for decision, preparation and implementation of the sale of the vaccine production was very unsatisfactory. The ministry's decision to consider whether the vaccine production should be sold, closed or continued was well founded from an operational perspective. However, the basis for decision was not balanced and complete, because selling the vaccine production appeared as the only valid option in preference to closing or continuing the production. Moreover, the ministry underestimated the complexity of the sale and did not ensure adequate and timely integration of the most basic conditions of achieving a good sale in the process. This in spite of the prolonged process and the fact that the ministry through most of the process was focused on selling rather than closing or continuing the production of vaccine. This approach may have weakened the ministry's negotiating position. The preliminary net proceeds of the sale of the vaccine production is a deficit of approximately DKK 279 million (sales price less the rent reduction and expenses for consultancy) against an estimated surplus of up to DKK 285 million. 

Rigsrevisionen initiated the study in June 2017.

Read the 1st chapter of the report (PDF)