Estimating the Total Societal Cost of a Hexavalent Vaccine versus a Pentavalent Vaccine with Hepatitis B in South Korea

Abstract

In South Korea, the ready-to-use hexavalent vaccine (against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, poliovirus, Haemophilus influenzae type b, and hepatitis B) is not listed despite its facility of no need to reconstitute. It, therefore, has the potential to augment the efficiency of prevention against the six infectious diseases, and it may reduce vaccine-related errors of reconstitution when compared with the currently used vaccination scheme of the pentavalent vaccine with the additional shots against hepatitis B. Given the assumed clinical equivalence between the two vaccination schemes, a cost-minimization analysis has been performed from a societal perspective including all the medical and non-medical direct and indirect costs when vaccinating one birth cohort. The results indicate that the ready-to-use hexavalent vaccine induces a cost reduction of KRW 47,155 (USD36.22) per infant or 12,026 million Korean Won ($9,236,417) in total for the whole birth cohort with 260,500 children. Using the ready-to-use hexavalent vaccine causes a lower infection rate, has fewer vaccination sessions, and may save much time as compared with the current vaccination scheme in place. The ready-to-use hexavalent vaccine may, therefore, benefit the National Immunization Program by reducing the total societal costs of vaccination while improving convenience of infants, parents, and medical care professionals.

Changes in vaccination practices among infants after the introduction of DTaP-IPV/Hib combination vaccines

“…Many countries including the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada, have already introduced the DTaP-IPV-Hib-HepB combination vaccine into their NIPs based on its high safety and immunogenicity profile [20] . Korea recently conducted a cost-effectiveness analysis of the DTaP-IPV-Hib-HepB combination vaccine, which demonstrated the potential to reduce costs by $36.22 per infant and a total savings of $9,236,417 compared to the DTaP-IPV/Hib combination vaccine [21] . Our study supports the theory that DTaP-containing combination vaccines can decrease indirect costs by substantially reducing hospital visits for vaccination and the total number of required doses, while also enhancing vaccination coverage rates.…”

Acceptance and willingness to pay for DTaP-HBV-IPV-Hib hexavalent vaccine among parents: A cross-sectional survey in China

“… 10 For example, a study by Mathijssen and colleagues 11 showed that the integration of hexavalent vaccine into the national immunization program of the United Kingdom could reduce vaccination costs by 9.07 million pounds over 10 years, and other studies have shown that hexavalent vaccine can save both direct and indirect healthcare costs for workers and parents. 6 , 10 Once a combination vaccine is approved as a safe and effective vaccine, there can be barriers to its use. Cost, compared to cost of the component vaccines, is one potential barrier, which is in part why we conducted our WTP analysis.…”