Ilta-Sanomat's reporting of a doctor's rebellion over vaccine policy bore fruit on Friday when it emerged that the Chancellor of Justice would look into funding from GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) for Finland's Institute for Health and Welfare (THL).
IS had reported concern among some doctors that Finland was still using a GSK pneumonia vaccine regarded by some as less effective than a rival product made by Pfizer.
THL also recommends that the vaccine isn't given to people over 65, unlike in some other countries--advice disputed by some of the doctors. They suspect the THL recommendations might be to do with a GSK trial that was ongoing.
Now the watchdog is to investigate research funding to the tune of 13.2 million euros the THL receives from GSK. It is launching the probe on its own initiative, in order to clarify the claims that THL might have made sub-optimal decisions.
Poll problems for government
Helsingin Sanomat runs a poll on Friday that makes for grim reading for the government. The poll suggests that satisfaction levels have dipped again, with just 25 percent of respondents saying the government was succeeding 'quite well' or 'very well' in its tasks.
That compares to 39 percent who rated the government as doing 'quite badly' or 'very badly'. HS also runs a story about dissatisfaction in the ranks of the Centre Party.
Critics contacted by HS say that rank and file MPs have been ignored, with ministers exercising the power won at the last election. The problem is that many of the party's 49 seats are under threat if its support levels don't rise in the coming months ahead of elections due next spring.
The internal split in the Centre's parliamentary party is, reports HS, between 'yes people' around Sipilä and critics of his economically liberal policies. That showed in a recent vote for the vice chair position, in which Hanna Kosonen was seen as a supporter of Sipilä and her rival Aila Paloniemi as more of a critic.
Kosonen won with 23 votes, but her opponent got 19--most of whom, according to HS, were protesting Sipilä rather than voting for her qualities.
Rehn ready to restrict borrowing
Former EU Commissioner Olli Rehn is settling into his new role at the Bank of Finland. On Friday he tells Kauppalehti that there are certain aspects of household debt that could become problematic.
In particular he focused on a special type of borrowing peculiar to Finland that has been utilised by real estate investors in recent years. Most Finnish apartment blocks are held by companies, with owners of individual flats holding shares in the company. They then share the cost of maintenance, borrowing money when necessary for major renovations.
Recently, however, new buildings have been sold with 'housing company loans' paying for some 70 percent of the sale price. Investors like that funding as it may be cheaper than they could secure for property investing and, depending on the way the company accounts for the loan, it can bring tax breaks with it.
The risk is that investors might get into trouble and be unable to service those loans--and then other shareholders in the company would be responsible for servicing them. Rehn says this arrangement could be problematic for that stability of future funding and for household finances.