Cost-effectiveness of universal pneumococcal vaccination for infants in Italy

This study aimed at estimating the health and economic outcomes of universal infant vaccination with seven-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV-7) in Italy. A Markov model simulated lifetime evolution of a birth cohort (538,138 children): universal vaccination would avert 769 invasive infections, 18 deaths and 1323 life years. At base-case analysis, universal three-dose vaccination would cost € 26,449 (95% CI: €1975–62,075) and €38,286 (95% CI: 22,164–70,801) per life year-saved in the societal and the NHS perspective, respectively. In the hypothesis of a 5-year long protection period, vaccination would cost € 32,694 and €43,115 per life-year saved. Considering yearly incidence of invasive pneumococcal disease reported for Veneto and Sardinia regions, PCV-7 vaccination would result highly cost-effective determining a cost of €10,479 and €16,890 per life year-save in the NHS and the societal perspective, respectively.