Cost effectiveness of rotavirus vaccination in Australia

Rotavirus gastroenteritis causes substantial morbidity, including hospital admission, in young children. In the context of recent vaccine developments, this study aimed to estimate the cost-effectiveness of a rotavirus vaccination program in Australia.

Standard methods of health economic evaluation were used to assess the total cost of rotavirus immunisation (as the difference between estimated vaccination program costs and the cost of disease that would be avoided by immunisation) and relate this to the number of cases of disease that would be prevented. Estimates were made from both societal and health care systems perspectives.

Based on Australian data on disease incidence and cost of hospitalisation, the current annual cost of rotavirus disease is about $26.0 million. Using conservative vaccine efficacy estimates, current immunization uptake rates and a cost of $30 per dose of vaccine, rotavirus immunisation would incur a net societal cost of $2.9 million ($11 per child), at a gross program cost of $21.6 million. These estimates are sensitive to two sources of uncertainty in the estimation of program delivery costs: vaccine price and whether separate immunization visits would be required.

A rotavirus immunisation program would be cost-neutral to Australian society at a vaccine price of $26 per dose (or $19 when health care system costs only are considered).

Rotavirus immunization may be cost-effective in Australia, but considerable uncertainty remains. Policy decisions will depend heavily on pricing of the vaccine and may also need to consider intangible costs not accounted for in this analysis.