PharmacoEconomics & Outcomes News 680 - 15 Jun 2013

Herd protection a key ingredient inHepA vaccine CEAs

"Because of their ability to capture the naturalphenomenon of herd protection, dynamic models havesignificant utility for economic evaluation of hepatitis A(HepA) vaccination programmes", say researchers in theUSA. Findings of their cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA)show that universal HepA vaccination of children at12 and 18 months of age would be cost savingcompared with an earlier regional vaccination policy ifthe reduced spread of infection from herd immunity,whereby vaccination of part of a population conferspartial indirect protection for the remainder, is takeninto account.

The analysis was conducted from a societalperspective and used a population-dynamic model toproject outcomes over a 100-year time horizon startingin 2006 when ACIP* recommended universal HepAvaccination of children in the USA instead of their priorregional policy of routine vaccination of children living instates with high rates of hepatitis. Herd protectionaccounted for prevention of three-quarters of deathsand a half of outpatient visits and hospitalisationsassociated with HepA infections. When herd protectioneffects were excluded, the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio was $US41 712 per QALY gained foruniversal vaccination compared with the prior regionalvaccination policy.* Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices

Dhankhar P, et al. Public Health Impact and Cost Effectiveness of Hepatitis AVaccination in the United States: a Population-Based Dynamic Model. 18thAnnual International Meeting of the International Society for Pharmacoeconomicsand Outcomes Research : abstr. PIN49, 18 May 2013. 803087417

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PharmacoEconomics & Outcomes News 15 Jun 2013 No. 6801173-5503/10/0680-0001/$14.95 Adis © 2010 Springer International Publishing AG. All rights reserved