Economic and health benefits should be taken into account when the government assess the value of vaccination, according to new research by the International Longevity Centre — UK (ILC-UK).
Flu virus
The new research, ‘An Economic Analysis of Flu Vaccination’, features a new static economic model — developed by ILC-UK— which finds that vaccination prevents between 180,000 and 626,000 cases of influenza each year and helps avert between 5,678 and 8,800 premature deaths per year. Additionally, the vast majority of flu-based hospitalisations are among older patients — for 2016–2017, 1,800 hospitalised patients were between 80 and 84.
Looking at the economic benefit of the flu vaccine, ILC-UK’s model finds that the greatest benefits come from reducing the cost of lost employment and lost care giving as a result of flu. For example, annually an older person may benefit from informal care that is worth the equivalent of £2,905.
From the static model, ILC-UK determines that the human capital costs of influenza range from £90 million to £270 million. The NHS flu vaccination programme costs £50,610 per death averted.
However, as this is a static economic model the estimates from this research may be conservative and as such, ILC-UK notes could underestimate the potential cost benefits. What is demonstrable is the fact that human capital as well as health costs are important considerations. In addition to this, assessment of the value of vaccination should incorporate the human capital as well as the health costs.
The researchers find substantial potential cost savings when the vaccine is well matched to disease but argue that, if we are to maximise the economic return, it is important to raise the efficacy of the vaccine among older age groups in particular. In years where the flu strains selected for the vaccine match those circulating in the community, the vaccine works better than those years in which there is a mismatch. Some vaccine technologies may also help by including a booster (known as an adjuvant) or by giving older people a higher dose. The researchers also argue that greater effort should be made by policymakers in terms of increasing coverage rates among younger people where efficacy and incidence is higher.
ILC-UK argue that the cost-benefit analysis is highly sensitive to vaccine administration costs and urge government to look to ways of delivering the vaccination more efficiently. Given the costs of delivering a vaccine through a pharmacy are cheaper than through a GP, the authors argue there may be opportunities to find further reductions in the cost of delivery.
“Seasonal influenza remains a potent public health concern around the globe and much of the burden falls on older people,” revealed Ben Franklin, assistant director of Research and Policy. “The flu continues to impose a serious burden on health services, as well as resulting in ‘productivity losses’ due to poor health and sick days. Policymakers should take into account the economic as well as the health costs of vaccine preventable diseases when assessing the value of vaccination. Industry must work to ensure that innovations in vaccination improve the efficacy of vaccination among older people.”