Background: Streptococcus pneumoniae causes invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD), community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) and acute otitis media (AOM). Two higher-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCV) are available, pneumococcal non-typeable Haemophilus influenzae protein D conjugate vaccine (PHiD-CV) and 13-valent PCV (PCV-13). This study estimated the economic and health impact of PHiD-CV vaccination on pneumococcal disease burden in children <5 years of age in Brazil.
Methods: The disease burden prior to the PHiD-CV vaccination program was estimated from literature and databases. The effect of PHiD-CV was estimated as a reduction of 70% for IPD, 26% for CAP and 40% for AOM, based on published studies. Residual IPD cases attributable to serotype 19A were estimated using surveillance data. PCV-13 effectiveness against 19A-IPD was set at 30%-70% higher than PHiD-CV. Vaccine prices were US$12.85/dose for PHiD-CV and US$14.50/dose for PCV-13.
Results: PHiD-CV vaccination reduced IPD by 6359, CAP by 315,016 and AOM by 669,943 cases, with estimated cost savings of >US$84 million annually and US$211-22,232 per case averted depending on the outcome. Switching from PHiD-CV to PCV-13 would avoid only a few additional IPD cases at additional costs exceeding US$18 million per year (US$125,192-386,230 per IPD case averted).
Conclusions: The PHiD-CV vaccination program in Brazil has resulted in important reductions of pneumococcal disease and substantial cost savings. Instead of switching PCVs, expanding vaccine coverage or investing in other health care interventions would be a more efficient use of resources to improve the health of the population in Brazil.