Pneumococcal Vaccination in Children

Pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCVs) have markedly decreased the disease burden caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae, a foremost reason for childhood morbidity and mortality globally. A systematic review and meta-analysis by Syeed MS. et al. assessed the incremental net benefit (INB) of the 13-valent PCV (PCV13) and 10-valent PCV (PCV10) in children. The study analyzed cost-effectiveness and cost-utility analyses of PCV13 and PCV10 compared with no vaccination or with each other in children and stratified the results by country income level, perspective, and consideration of herd effects.

The study included 70 studies and found that PCV13 was cost-effective compared with PCV10 from the payer perspective in both high-income countries (HICs) and low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) on considering the herd effects. PCV13 was also cost-effective compared with no vaccination across perspectives and consideration of herd effects in both HICs and LMICs, whereas findings were less consistent for PCV10.

Overall, PCVs were generally cost-effective in both HICs and LMICs. The study suggests that PCV13 is a better choice than PCV10 when herd effects are considered from the payer perspective in both HICs and LMICs. However, the results are sensitive to the consideration of herd effects.

Syeed MS, Ghule P, Le LM, et al. Pneumococcal Vaccination in Children: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Cost-Effectiveness Studies. Value in Health.2023;26(4):598-611. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jval.2022.10.006.