Photo Credit: SrdjanPav
The following is a summary of “Cost-Effectiveness of Maternal Vaccination to Prevent Respiratory Syncytial Virus Illness,” published in the November 2024 issue of Pediatrics by Hutton et al.
Among infants in the United States, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a leading cause of hospitalization. The U.S. FDA approved the RSV bivalent prefusion F maternal vaccine (RSVpreF) to prevent RSV-related illness.
Researchers conducted a prospective study to assess the health benefits and cost-effectiveness of vaccinating pregnant individuals with the RSVpreF vaccine in the U.S.
They simulated RSV infection in the U.S. birth cohort with and without seasonal RSVpreF vaccination during weeks 32 through 36 of gestation. The model inputs were based on peer-reviewed literature, FDA records, and epidemiological surveillance (3% discounting of future health outcomes and costs, 1-year time frame).
The results showed that year-round maternal vaccination with RSVpreF would prevent 45,693 outpatient visits, 15,866 ED visits, and 7,571 hospitalizations among infants each year. Vaccination had a societal incremental cost of $396,280 per quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) saved. Vaccination from September through January costs $163,513 per QALY saved. The most influential factors were QALYs lost from RSV disease, the vaccine cost, and RSV-associated hospitalization costs, resulting in outcomes ranging from cost-saving to $800,000 per QALY saved.
They concluded that seasonal maternal RSV vaccination may be cost-effective, mainly when administered just before or at the start of the RSV season.
