The impact and cost-effectiveness of introducing the 10-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine into the paediatric immunisation programme in Iceland-A population-based time series analysis.

• Published in: PLOS ONE
• Main Authors: Elias Eythorsson, Tinna L Ásgeirsdóttir, Helga Erlendsdóttir, Birgir Hrafnkelsson, Karl G Kristinsson, Ásgeir Haraldsson
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2021
• Subjects: Medicine; R; Science; Q; Iceland
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0249497; https://doaj.org/article/61924aa7e8f04ad6974731010fddc4af

Introduction Streptococcus pneumoniae is a cause of infections that range in severity from acute otitis media (AOM) to pneumonia and invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD). The 10-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PHiD-CV10) was introduced into the Icelandic paediatric immunisation programme in 2011. The aim was to estimate the population impact and cost-effectiveness of PHiD-CV10 introduction. Methods Data on primary care visits from 2005-2015 and hospitalisations from 2005-2017 were obtained from population-based registries. A Bayesian time series analysis with synthetic controls was employed to estimate the number of cases of AOM, pneumonia and IPD that would have occurred between 2013-2017, had PHiD-CV10 not been introduced. Prevented cases were calculated by subtracting the observed number of cases from this estimate. The cost of the programme was calculated accounting for cost-savings due to prevented cases. Results The introduction of PHiD-CV10 prevented 13,767 (95% credible interval [CI] 2,511-29,410) visits for AOM from 2013-2015, and prevented 1,814 (95%CI -523-4,512) hospitalisations for pneumonia and 53 (95%CI -17-177) admissions for IPD from 2013-2017. Visits for AOM decreased both among young children and among children 4-19 years of age, with rate ratios between 0.72-0.89. Decreases were observed in both pneumonia hospitalisations (rate ratios between 0.67-0.92) and IPD (rate ratios between 0.27-0.94). The total cost of implementing PHiD-CV10 in Iceland was -7,463,176 United States Dollars (USD) (95%CI -16,159,551-582,135) with 2.1 USD (95%CI 0.2-4.7) saved for every 1 USD spent. Conclusions The introduction of PHiD-CV10 was associated with large decreases in visits and hospitalisations for infections commonly caused by pneumococcus and was cost-saving during the first five years of the immunisation programme.