Clinical and economic considerations of vaccination against varicella
1Department of Pharmacy, University of Washington, Seattle 98195, USA.
Insights
Varicella vaccination in children is recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics. While not cost-beneficial for payers, universal varicella vaccination offers societal cost savings.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric infectious disease
- Public health economics
- Vaccine policy
Background:
- Chickenpox (varicella) is generally mild in immunocompetent children.
- Annual direct and indirect medical costs associated with varicella are approximately $400 million.
- A varicella vaccine is available in the United States.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the medical and economic literature on varicella vaccine for healthy children.
- To provide perspective for clinicians and policymakers regarding varicella vaccination.
- To assess the cost-effectiveness of universal varicella vaccination.
Main Methods:
- Review of medical and economic literature.
- Analysis of cost-benefit from payer and societal perspectives.
- Consideration of recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Main Results:
- Universal varicella vaccination is recommended for children over 12 months without contraindications.
- Vaccination yields an estimated $0.90 savings per dollar spent from a payer perspective.
- Vaccination yields an estimated $5.40 savings per dollar spent from a societal perspective.
Conclusions:
- Varicella vaccination is cost-beneficial from a societal viewpoint.
- The economic benefits of varicella vaccination are significant when considering broader societal impact.
- Clinical and economic data support varicella vaccination policies.
Abstract:
We evaluated the medical and economic literature pertaining to varicella vaccine in healthy children in an effort to provide perspective for both clinicians and those responsible for making payment policies. Chickenpox is relatively mild in most immunocompetent children; however, disease-related direct and indirect medical costs have been estimated at approximately $400 million/year. A vaccine effective in preventing the disease is now available in the United States and may offset some of these expected costs. Universal vaccination for patients older than 12 months of age without history of varicella infection or other contraindication is recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics. It is estimated that it would save $0.90/dollar spent and $5.40/dollar spent from payers' and society's perspectives, respectively. Thus varicella vaccination is cost-beneficial only when considered from a societal perspective.
Related Concept Videos
01:51Vaccinations
01:23Types of Biopharmaceutical Studies: Controlled and Non-Controlled Approaches
Non-controlled studies, commonly employed for initial exploration, lack a control group, rendering them susceptible to biases and external influences. In contrast, controlled...
01:21Vaccines
01:24Smallpox
01:20Chickenpox
01:29Respiratory Syncytial Virus Disease