Cost-effectiveness of pneumococcal conjugate vaccination in Georgia.
OBJECTIVE
Financial support from the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI) to introduce the 10-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV10) into the routine childhood immunization schedule in Georgia is ending in 2015. As a result, the Interagency Coordination Committee (ICC) decided to carry out a cost-effectiveness analysis to gather additional evidence to advocate for an appropriate evidence-based decision after GAVI support is over. The study also aimed to strengthen national capacity to conduct cost-effectiveness studies, and to introduce economic evaluations into Georgia's decision-making process.


METHODS
A multidisciplinary team of national experts led by a member of the ICC carried out the analysis that compared two scenarios: introducing PCV10 vs no vaccination. The TRIVAC model was used to evaluate 10 cohorts of children over the period 2014-2023. National data was used to inform demographics, disease burden, vaccine coverage, health service utilization, and costs. Evidence from clinical trials and the scientific literature was used to estimate the impact of the vaccine. A 3+0 schedule and a vaccine price increasing to US$ 3.50 per dose was assumed for the base-case scenario. Alternative univariate and multivariate scenarios were evaluated.


RESULTS
Over the 10-year period, PCV10 was estimated to prevent 7170 (8288 undiscounted) outpatient visits due to all-cause acute otitis media, 5325 (6154 undiscounted) admissions due to all-cause pneumonia, 87 (100 undiscounted) admissions due to pneumococcal meningitis, and 508 (588 undiscounted) admissions due to pneumococcal non-pneumonia and non-meningitis (NPNM). In addition, the vaccine was estimated to prevent 41 (48 undiscounted) deaths. This is equivalent to approximately 5 deaths and 700 admissions prevented each year in Georgia. Over the 10-year period, PCV10 would cost the government approximately US$ 4.4 million ($440,000 per year). However, about half of this would be offset by the treatment costs prevented. The discounted cost-effectiveness ratio was estimated to be US$ 1599 per DALY averted with scenarios ranging from US$ 286 to US$ 7787.


CONCLUSIONS
This study led to better multi-sectoral collaboration and improved national capacity to perform economic evaluations. Routine infant vaccination against Streptococcus pneumoniae would be highly cost-effective in Georgia. The decision to introduce PCV10 was already made some time before the study was initiated but it provided important economic evidence in support of that decision. There are several uncertainties around many of the parameters used, but a multivariate scenario analysis with several conservative assumptions (including no herd effect in older individuals) shows that this recommendation is robust. This study supports the decision to introduce PCV10 in Georgia.
Georgia National Centre for Disease Control and Public Health (NCDC), Tbilisi, Georgia. Electronic address: t.komakhidze@ncdc.ge.
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Komakhidze
Agence de Médecine Préventive (AMP), Paris, France.
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C
Hoestlandt
Georgia National Centre for Disease Control and Public Health (NCDC), Tbilisi, Georgia.
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T
Dolakidze
Georgia National Centre for Disease Control and Public Health (NCDC), Tbilisi, Georgia.
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M
Shakhnazarova
Georgia National Centre for Disease Control and Public Health (NCDC), Tbilisi, Georgia.
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Chlikadze
National Statistics Office of Georgia (Geostat), Tbilisi, Georgia.
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N
Kopaleishvili
Georgia Ministry of Labor, Health and Social Affairs (MoH), Tbilisi, Georgia.
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Goginashvili
Georgia Ministry of Labor, Health and Social Affairs (MoH), Tbilisi, Georgia.
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M
Kherkheulidze
London School of Hygene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), London, United Kingdom.
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Clark
Agence de Médecine Préventive (AMP), Paris, France.
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J
Blau
D002675:Child, Preschool; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D005846:Georgia (Republic) / Q000453:epidemiology; D006291:Health Policy; D006801:Humans; D017589:Immunization Programs; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D015233:Models, Statistical; D011008:Pneumococcal Infections / Q000191:economics* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D022242:Pneumococcal Vaccines / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000191:economics* / Q000276:immunology*; D014611:Vaccination / Q000191:economics* / Q000379:methods
C586648:10-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine; D022242:Pneumococcal Vaccines
Cost-effectiveness analysis; Decision-making process; Evidence-based medicine; Georgia; Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine