Incremental Cost-Effectiveness of 13-valent Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine for Adults Age 50 Years and Older in the United States

Recently released results from a randomized controlled trial have shown that 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) is efficacious against vaccine-type nonbacteremic pneumonia in adults. We examined the incremental cost-effectiveness of adding PCV13 to the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) adult immunization schedule. We used a probabilistic model following cohorts of 50-, 60-, or 65-year-olds. We used separate vaccination coverage and disease incidence data for healthy and high-risk adults. Incremental cost-effectiveness ratios were determined for each potential vaccination strategy. In the base case scenario, our model indicated that adding PCV13 at age 65 or replacing 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPSV23) at age 65 with PCV13 provided more value for money than adding PCV13 at ages 50 or 60. After projections of six additional years of herd protection from the childhood immunization program were incorporated, we found adding PCV13 dominated replacing PPSV23. For a cohort of 65-year-olds in 2013, the cost of adding PCV13 at age 65 to the schedule was $62,065 per quality-adjusted life year (QALY) gained, which rose to $272,621 after 6 years of projected herd protection. The addition of one dose of PCV13 for adults appears to have a cost-effectiveness ratio comparable to other vaccination interventions in the short run, though anticipated herd protection from the childhood immunization program may dramatically increase the cost per QALY after only a few years.