Vaccinating adults is a worthwhile investment, say the economists behind a landmark study which focused on flu, pneumococcal disease, herpes zoster and RSV vaccination in ten countries.
Key findings
- Demographic changes and health challenges are putting pressure on healthcare systems and society. Adult immunisation can ease the strain.
- The benefit-cost analysis showed that adult vaccines can return up to 19 times their initial investment to society, when their benefits beyond healthcare are monetised.
- Despite increasing recognition of the broader value of vaccination, substantial evidence gaps remain, leading to underestimation of vaccine value.
- Governments should adopt a ‘prevention-first’ mindset to health investments, with adult immunisation playing a crucial role in enabling us to live longer, healthier, and more productive lives.
The report, by the Office of Health Economics (OHE), an independent research organisation, was commissioned by the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers & Associations (IFPMA). It looked at the costs and benefits of adult vaccination in Australia, Brazil, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Poland, South Africa, Thailand and the United States.
In the latest edition of the Coalition for Life-Course Immunisation (CLCI) podcast series, Lotte Steuten, Deputy CEO of the OHE, discusses how the value of vaccines can be measured and the implications of the report for vaccination policy. In conversation with Vaccines Today Editor, Gary Finnegan, she discusses the need for data-driven decision-making on vaccination and the overwhelming case for prioritising prevention.
‘Vaccines provide substantial returns on investment in three ways,’ Lotte explains. ‘They provide value to individuals by saving lives and preventing serious disease; to the healthcare system by reducing doctor and hospital visits – those resources can be used for different patients; and thirdly they contribute to society by allowing a healthy and active workforce to be active throughout life.’
She said the costs of adult immunisation programmes are offset multiple times, adding that the report provides a call to action ‘to countries not already implementing or expanding robust vaccination schedules’.
Read the full report: Socio-Economic Value of Adult Immunisation Programmes