Cost effectiveness analysis of pneumococcal vaccination of older people in France

Objective - The incidence and mortality rate associated to pneumococcal infections are particularly high in the elderly population, contributing to health expenditure that vaccination could prevent to some extent. The objective of this study was to assess the efficiency of a pneumococcal vaccination program targeting a population 65 years of age or more, in France. Method - A cost effectiveness analysis, comparing the vaccination strategy with the alternative 'no vaccination' strategy, was performed using a Markov model. The analysis was carried out from the payer's perspective. A second analysis was performed to take into account data and model uncertainties. Results - The pneumococcal vaccination strategy was cost saving, assuming that the pneumococcal vaccination was given at the same time as the flu vaccination without increasing vaccination costs. If the costs were updated by 5% the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio was 18 093 FF (95% CI [-21,107-53,201]). Conclusion - Vaccination of the elderly seems to be efficient if the pneumococcal vaccination is given concomitantly to the flu vaccination. (C) 2002 Editions scientifiques et medicales Elsevier SAS. All rights reserved.