RSV Vaccination in US Older Adults Could Save Up to $1 Billion Per Season

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccination of older adults in the United States could prevent as many as 14,900 deaths and avoid as much as $1 billion in medical costs per RSV season, suggest study findings published in the journal Vaccine.

“In this study, we developed an economic model bridging the gap between landmark epidemiology studies for RSV disease in older adults and more recent studies to provide stakeholders in the United States with contemporary estimates of the potential clinical and economic impact of RSV vaccination in this population,” wrote corresponding author William L Herring, PhD, from RTI Health Solutions, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, and coauthors.

A vaccine with 50% efficacy and coverage equal to that for the seasonal influenza vaccine would prevent between 43,700 and 81,500 hospitalizations due to RSV and 8000 to 14,900 RSV-attributable deaths per RSV season in the United States, according to study estimates. It could also prevent 1800 to 3900 quality-adjusted life-years lost and avoid $557 million to $1.02 billion in direct medical costs due to RSV disease each year.

Depending on the epidemiology data and willingness-to-pay threshold used, RSV vaccination in older adults would likely to be cost-effective at prices between $73.54 and $298.79 per vaccination, analyses showed.

The economic value of vaccination was most sensitive to the seasonal incidence of RSV disease among unvaccinated older adults and increased mortality risk after RSV hospitalization, sensitivity analyses found.

“Despite variability and gaps in the epidemiology literature, this study highlights the potential value of RSV vaccination for older adults in the United States,” researchers wrote. “Our analysis provides contemporary estimates of the population-level RSV disease burden and insights into the economic value drivers for RSV vaccination.”

Reference: 
Herring WL, Zhang Y, Shinde V, Stoddard J, Talbird SE, Rosen B. Clinical and economic outcomes associated with respiratory syncytial virus vaccination in older adults in the United States. Vaccine. 2022;40(3):483-493. doi:10.1016/j.vaccine.2021.12.002