Potential Cost-Effectiveness of Vaccination against Herpes Zoster and Post-Herpetic Neuralgia
2008
This 2008 Canadian study assessed the cost effectiveness of the Zoster Vaccine Live (ZVL) vaccine against herpes zoster (HZ) and post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN). The authors used a cohort model to estimate the burden of HZ and the cost-effectiveness of HZ vaccination from a ministry of health perspective using Canadian population-based data. They examined different ages at vaccination and conducted probabilistic sensitivity analysis.
There are about 130,000 new cases of HZ, 17,000 cases of PHN and 20 deaths in Canada annually. Most of the pain and suffering is borne by adults over the age of 60 years and is due to PHN. Vaccinating 65-year-olds is estimated to cost $33,000 per QALY-gained. Probabilistic sensitivity analysis suggest that vaccinating between 65 and 75 years of age will likely yield cost-effectiveness ratios below $40,000 per QALYgained, while vaccinating adults older than 75 years will yield ratios less than $70,000 per QALY-gained. These results are most sensitive to the duration of vaccine protection and the cost of vaccination.
Note: This article was published before the release of the newer herpes zoster subunit (HZ/su) vaccine.
Potential Cost-Effectiveness of Vaccination against Herpes Zoster and Post-Herpetic Neuralgia
Source:
Brisson M, Pellissier JM, Camden S et al. The Potential Cost-Effectiveness of Vaccination against Herpes Zoster and Post-Herpetic Neuralgia. Human Vaccine 2008: 4; 3: 238-245. https://doi.org/10.4161/hv.4.3.5686
Not open access.