FLUZONE High Dose cost effective in adults aged ≥65 years

Abstract

Sanofi Pasteur’s high-dose trivalent inactivated influenza vaccine (IIV3-HD; FLUZONE High Dose) appears to be cost effective or cost saving compared with standard-dose IIV3 (IIV3-SD) in adults 65 years of age and over, according to findings of a Sanofi Pasteur-funded systematic review published in Vaccine. Econlit, Embase and Ovid MEDLINE were searched for studies published between January 2009 and June 2019 which evaluated the economics or cost effectiveness of IIV3-HD versus IIV3-SD in adults aged 65 years and over. Seven studies performed in US (n=6) or Canada (1) met the selection criteria, and five of these were funded by Sanofi Pasteur. Two studies were conducted from both societal and third-party payer perspectives, three were conducted from a societal perspective, and two were conducted from payer perspectives. In all seven studies, IIV3-HD was reported to reduce healthcare resource use, primarily due to reduction in hospitalisations for cardiorespiratory events. All studies found that IIV3-HD was cost effective or cost saving compared with IIV3-SD. Two studies conducted alongside clinical trials found that IIV3-HD dominated (more effective and less costly) IIV3-SD from both societal and payer perspectives. Three modelling studies conducted from a societal perspective reported incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) of $10 350–$28 719 [US dollars] per QALY gained, while one modelling study conducted from a payer perspective reported an ICER of $5299 per QALY gained. This systematic review found that IIV3-HD is cost-saving or cost-effective versus IIV3-SD in healthy adults aged ≥65 years in the US and Canada. Reduced cardiorespiratory complications are an important driver of these economic benefits, concluded the authors.