Cost effectiveness of child pneumococcal conjugate vaccination in GAVI-eligible countries

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Vaccinology
• Health Economics

Background:

• Policy-makers increasingly use cost-effectiveness analysis for new childhood vaccine adoption.
• Previous studies found 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) highly cost-effective in GAVI-eligible nations.
• Recent data on disease burden and vaccine advancements necessitate updated analyses.

Purpose of the Study:

• To update the cost-effectiveness analysis of PCV introduction in GAVI-eligible countries.
• To incorporate recent global disease burden data, indirect effects, and higher valency vaccines (7-, 10-, and 13-valent).
• To evaluate a three-dose infant vaccination schedule over a 10-year program.

Main Methods:

• Decision analytic models were employed using an incidence-based approach.
• Evaluated three-dose infant vaccination schedules for 7-, 10-, and 13-valent PCV formulations.
• Compared vaccination scenarios against no vaccination in 72 GAVI-eligible countries.

Main Results:

• PCV introduction could avert 294,000–603,000 deaths and 9.3–17.6 million DALYs annually, depending on formulation.
• The majority of DALYs averted (91%) result from the vaccine's direct impact on children under five.
• PCV was found to be highly cost-effective in 69 out of 72 GAVI-eligible countries, based on WHO thresholds and negotiated costs.

Conclusions:

• The updated analysis strongly supports PCV introduction in GAVI-eligible countries.
• PCV demonstrates significant potential to avert child mortality and morbidity at a relatively low incremental cost.
• Findings remain robust across sensitivity analyses, confirming the value of PCV programs.