A healthcare professional wearing blue gloves administers an injection into a person's upper arm whilst holding a cotton wool ball on the skin.

Cost-effectiveness of the 15-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine for high-risk adults in Switzerland

Authors: A Deb, P Guggisberg, T Mutschler, K Owusu-Edusei, G Bencina, K D Johnson, T Ignacio, D A R Mathijssen, V Qendri

Published: Expert Review of Vaccines, 2022

Background

Vaccination against pneumococcal disease (PD) has shown a favorable cost-effectivenessprofile for many national immunization programs. While vaccination efforts have concentrated on children, many adults with underlying illnesses face elevated risks of PD and death. A 15-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (V114) is currently available offering protection against 15 different serotypes and can be used in adults.

Research design and methods

We examined the cost-effectiveness of V114 vaccination in high-risk adults, aged 18+, in Switzerland. To this end, a Markov model was constructed estimating the lifetime direct medical costs and clinical effectiveness of V114 vaccination on invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) and non-bacteremic pneumococcal pneumonia (NBPP).

Results

Considering 60% vaccine uptake and direct effects of vaccination, in total 760 IPD and 4,396 NBPP in- and outpatient cases could be prevented. Vaccinating high-risk adults with V114 led to CHF 37.4 million additional vaccination costs but saved CHF 14.4 million of medical treatment costs. V114 vaccination produced a gain of 2,095 QALYs and 6,320 LYs compared with no vaccination, leading to incremental cost-effectiveness ratios of CHF 17,866/QALY and CHF 15,616/QALY gained from a health care payer and societal perspective, respectively.

Conclusions

This evidence justifies the implementation of V114 vaccination among high-risk adults in Switzerland.