Cost Effectiveness of the Adjuvanted Recombinant Zoster Vaccine in Older Adults in Portugal
摘要
Herpes zoster (HZ) and associated complications comprise a considerable public health burden in older adults. This study aimed to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of recombinant zoster vaccine (RZV) versus no vaccine for the prevention of HZ in older adults in Portugal.
MethodsA static multicohort Markov model (ZONA) was adapted to the Portuguese context. The base-case compared RZV with no vaccination in a hypothetical cohort of 1 million adults aged ≥65 years. Real-world data were used for first-dose coverage (56.1%) and second-dose completion (67.2%), with vaccine efficacy and waning based on 11-year follow-up data. Outcomes were calculated over a lifetime horizon from the societal perspective, with a 4% discount applied to costs and quality-adjusted life years (QALYs). In the base-case, HZ incidence was based on previously reported European data. Sensitivity analyses were performed, and a scenario analysis explored the impact of alternative HZ incidence rates based on recent Portuguese data.
ResultsOver a lifetime horizon, RZV was estimated to prevent 45,551 HZ cases, 9056 post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN) cases, 5580 cases with other non-PHN complications, and 6 HZ deaths. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) from the societal perspective was €48,707 per QALY gained, below a hypothetical willingness-to-pay threshold of two times the gross domestic product per capita per QALY gained (equivalent to €62,200). This base-case ICER was most sensitive to the annual incidence of initial HZ. In the scenario analysis, exploring higher HZ incidence based on Portuguese data, the estimated ICER was €41,877 per QALY gained. In both the base-case and the scenario analyses, ICERs were lowest in individuals aged 65–69 years, with ICERs ranging from €36,207 to €42,700 per QALY gained, in the scenario analysis and base case, respectively.
ConclusionsRZV presents a cost-effective option for the prevention of HZ and its complications in Portuguese adults aged ≥ 65 years, with greater cost effectiveness in those aged 65–69 years.