Social welfare and adolescent vaccination programs in the United States: the economic opportunities for a systematic expansion.
In this article, the authors review current literature to analyze the cost-effectiveness of seven vaccines now available for adolescents and one that is in development. An analysis is also performed regarding the cutoff price that deems a vaccine "cost-effective." Often, $50,000 is the limit below which a drug is viewed as cost-effective. Our article contends that $160,000 could be a new limit below which the cost-effectiveness of a vaccine is better reflected. Based on standard economic valuations of life years in the United States and the preponderance of evidence from the cost-effectiveness literature, there is a compelling case for expanding adolescent vaccine programs, guidelines, and educational initiatives in the United States; there exist considerable economic benefits in excess of costs from policies that may achieve this objective.
Vernon
John A
JA
Gillings School of Global Public Health, Department of Health Policy and Management, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599-7411, USA. vernon@email.unc.edu
Payette
Michael
M
Chatterjee
Abhishek
A
D000293:Adolescent; D016497:Adolescent Health Services / Q000191:economics*; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D006801:Humans; D017589:Immunization Programs / Q000191:economics*; D012946:Social Welfare / Q000191:economics*; D014481:United States; D014611:Vaccination / Q000191:economics*