Estimating the Value of Combination Vaccines: A Methodological Framework.

Area of Science:

• Vaccinology
• Health Economics
• Public Health Policy

Background:

• Combination vaccines integrate multiple antigens into a single administration, offering programmatic advantages for crowded immunization schedules.
• Despite benefits, higher development costs and unclear market signals can deter manufacturer investment in combination vaccines.
• Existing health economic evaluation frameworks may not fully capture the multifaceted value of combination vaccines.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a comprehensive framework for evaluating the economic value of combination vaccines.
• To demonstrate how this framework can inform investment decisions for new vaccine introductions.
• To highlight the need for data collection to support real-world application of the framework.

Main Methods:

• Developed a four-domain framework to capture the value of combination vaccines: caregiver cost reductions, health system operational efficiencies, opportunity costs of schedule slots, and schedule streamlining.
• Applied the framework to a hypothetical vaccine introduction scenario, comparing standalone, replacement, and combination product formulations.
• Considered the value of reducing administrations for standalone vaccines.

Main Results:

• The proposed framework quantifies benefits beyond direct medical costs, including tangible/intangible caregiver costs and health system efficiencies.
• Comparing introduction scenarios revealed distinct value propositions for standalone versus combination vaccine products.
• The framework's practicality was demonstrated through a hypothetical case study.

Conclusions:

• A comprehensive economic evaluation framework is crucial for accurately assessing the value of combination vaccines.
• Capturing caregiver savings, operational efficiencies, and schedule benefits is essential for guiding vaccine investment decisions.
• Further data collection on existing vaccine values and willingness-to-pay for fewer administrations will enhance framework application.