tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Swiss Med Wkly. 2019 Dec 17;149:w20161. doi: 10.4414/. eCollection 2019 Dec 16. [h=1]The economic and public health impact of influenza vaccinations: contributions of Swiss pharmacies in the 2016/17 and 2017/18 influenza seasons and implications for vaccination policy.[/h]
Brunner I[SUP]1[/SUP], Schmedders K[SUP]2[/SUP], Wolfensberger A[SUP]3[/SUP], Schreiber PW[SUP]3[/SUP], Kuster SP[SUP]3[/SUP].
[h=3]Author information[/h] 1 AB Lindenapotheke AG, Unterentfelden, Switzerland. 2 Department of Business Administration, University of Zurich, Switzerland. 3 Division of Infectious Diseases and Hospital Epidemiology, University Hospital and University of Zurich, Switzerland.
[h=3]Abstract[/h] [h=4]AIMS OPF THE STUDY:[/h] Healthy adults have had the option to receive prescriptionless vaccination against influenza in pharmacies of several Swiss cantons since the 2015/16 influenza season. We aimed to assess in a cost-benefit analysis the resulting net benefits for the Swiss economy and public health, and the benefits that could be expected if an extension of the current vaccination recommendations was implemented.
[h=4]METHODS:[/h] The proportion of influenza vaccines administered in pharmacies was calculated from data provided by pharmacies entering information in phS-net.ch, data from vaccines covered by insurance companies, and vaccine supply data. The economic and public health impact was estimated in a cost-benefit analysis based on published data.
[h=4]RESULTS:[/h] In the 2016/17 and 2017/18 influenza seasons, 7306 of a total of 1.07 million (0.7%) and 15,617 of a total of 1.15 million (1.4%) influenza vaccine doses, respectively, were administered in pharmacies in Switzerland. The net cost savings for the economy due to vaccination in pharmacies in the 2016/17 and 2017/18 seasons were CHF 66,633 and CHF 143,021, respectively. In the 2017/18 season, this resulted –in a net saving per 100,000 inhabitants of CHF 1918, 94.4 cases of illness, 17.6 visits to primary care physicians, 0.328 hospitalisations, 1.1 hospitalisation days, 0.019 deaths prevented, and 0.353 life-years gained. Influenza vaccination proved to be cost-effective provided that a vaccine efficacy of 59% is exceeded. Extrapolations for the healthy, working-age population revealed that a vaccination coverage rate of 50% and a vaccine efficacy of 70% could save the Swiss economy CHF 18.4 million annually.
[h=4]CONCLUSIONS:[/h] The service allowing citizens to receive influenza vaccination in Swiss pharmacies is sparsely used. Since influenza vaccination is cost-beneficial as soon as vaccine efficacy surpasses a critical threshold, an extension of the vaccine recommendation for healthy, working-age adults should be considered from an economic point of view.
PMID: 31917857 DOI: 10.4414/
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Brunner I[SUP]1[/SUP], Schmedders K[SUP]2[/SUP], Wolfensberger A[SUP]3[/SUP], Schreiber PW[SUP]3[/SUP], Kuster SP[SUP]3[/SUP].
[h=3]Author information[/h] 1 AB Lindenapotheke AG, Unterentfelden, Switzerland. 2 Department of Business Administration, University of Zurich, Switzerland. 3 Division of Infectious Diseases and Hospital Epidemiology, University Hospital and University of Zurich, Switzerland.
[h=3]Abstract[/h] [h=4]AIMS OPF THE STUDY:[/h] Healthy adults have had the option to receive prescriptionless vaccination against influenza in pharmacies of several Swiss cantons since the 2015/16 influenza season. We aimed to assess in a cost-benefit analysis the resulting net benefits for the Swiss economy and public health, and the benefits that could be expected if an extension of the current vaccination recommendations was implemented.
[h=4]METHODS:[/h] The proportion of influenza vaccines administered in pharmacies was calculated from data provided by pharmacies entering information in phS-net.ch, data from vaccines covered by insurance companies, and vaccine supply data. The economic and public health impact was estimated in a cost-benefit analysis based on published data.
[h=4]RESULTS:[/h] In the 2016/17 and 2017/18 influenza seasons, 7306 of a total of 1.07 million (0.7%) and 15,617 of a total of 1.15 million (1.4%) influenza vaccine doses, respectively, were administered in pharmacies in Switzerland. The net cost savings for the economy due to vaccination in pharmacies in the 2016/17 and 2017/18 seasons were CHF 66,633 and CHF 143,021, respectively. In the 2017/18 season, this resulted –in a net saving per 100,000 inhabitants of CHF 1918, 94.4 cases of illness, 17.6 visits to primary care physicians, 0.328 hospitalisations, 1.1 hospitalisation days, 0.019 deaths prevented, and 0.353 life-years gained. Influenza vaccination proved to be cost-effective provided that a vaccine efficacy of 59% is exceeded. Extrapolations for the healthy, working-age population revealed that a vaccination coverage rate of 50% and a vaccine efficacy of 70% could save the Swiss economy CHF 18.4 million annually.
[h=4]CONCLUSIONS:[/h] The service allowing citizens to receive influenza vaccination in Swiss pharmacies is sparsely used. Since influenza vaccination is cost-beneficial as soon as vaccine efficacy surpasses a critical threshold, an extension of the vaccine recommendation for healthy, working-age adults should be considered from an economic point of view.
PMID: 31917857 DOI: 10.4414/
Free full text