Despite High Cost, Improved Pneumococcal Vaccine Expected To Return 10-Year Net Savings Of $12 Billion

In 2010 the US Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommended that the seven-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV7) be replaced by the thirteen-valent version (PCV13), which provides protection against six additional serotypes of the bacterium Streptococcus pneumoniae. The higher price of PCV13, compared to PCV7, may be a concern for funding agencies and payers, as has been the case with other new vaccines. This study estimated the budgetary impact on both public and private US insurance payers of the routine use of PCV13 instead of PCV7 from 2010 to 2019. Implementing the PCV13 vaccine is projected to cost public and private payers $3.5 billion and $2.6 billion, respectively, more than PCV7. However, PCV13 is expected to provide net cost savings of $6.1 billion and $4.2 billion, respectively, to those payers during the ten-year period by preventing pneumococcal disease and its associated costs. An additional $1.7 billion in cost savings would be realized for uninsured patients, whose costs ultimately fall on those payers. Despite its higher price, compared to PCV7, this new vaccine is expected to provide payers with substantial net budgetary savings.