A first-of-its-kind study has underscored the dual benefits of adult immunisation programmes, with the experts concluding that these can deliver a return of up to 19 times the investment.
Beyond saving lives and preventing severe illnesses, the programmes offer substantial financial advantages to nations by slashing the need for expensive hospital admissions and emergency medical interventions, and avoiding productivity losses, said the authors.
The research was carried out by the Office of Health Economics (OHE) – the world’s oldest independent health economics research organisation – and funded by the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations (IFPMA).
When considering the comprehensive range of benefits and using the most widely accepted valuation approach for each programme, the vaccination programmes translate into billions of dollars in net monetary gains for society, according to the study, on an individual level equating to around $4 637 in net benefits for a complete course.
“The results are overwhelmingly positive and much more value than the cost of delivering the vaccines,” Professor Lotte Steuten, deputy CEO of OHE and co-author of the report, told Health Policy Watch.
Promoting health, productivity and equity
The study looked at adult immunisation programmes targeting four diseases, three life-threatening illnesses and one causing severe pain and hospital admissions: flu, pneumococcal disease (PD), herpes zoster (HZ), and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).
These were examined across 10 countries: Australia, Brazil, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Poland, South Africa, Thailand and the United States.
Steuten said the specific countries were chosen to provide a balanced mix of societies regarding income level, demographics, disease incidents and availability of adult vaccination programmes.
The study’s findings came from reviewing published research about how these diseases affect adults and the benefits of vaccines for health, hospitals and society. The researchers also used a method called health economic modelling to calculate the costs versus the benefits and the money saved by using the programmes in the 10 countries.
The report was released ahead of World Immunisation Week, with the authors noting that the findings support major global initiatives like the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, the UN’s Decade of Healthy Ageing (2021-2030), and the World Health Organisation’s Immunisation Agenda 2030.
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