This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
Palivizumab prophylaxis for high-risk infants appears cost-effective
Resch B. Pediatr Infect Dis J. 2012;doi:10.1097/INF.0b013e318235455b.
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
Using palivizumab in high-risk infants with respiratory syncytial virus is a cost-effective measure in terms of overall health and societal costs, according to a group of Austrian researchers.
Bernhard Resch, MD, PhD, of the research unit for neonatal infectious diseases and epidemiology at the Medical University of Graz in Austria, and colleagues developed a pharmacoeconomic analysis following revised recommendations for use of palivizumab (Synagis, MedImmune) in Austria in 2008.
Although the researchers estimated the cost and effects of palivizumab to be discounted by 5%, and the base analysis included only direct medical costs, they estimated that the “incremental cost-effectiveness ratio for life years gained amounted to discounted costs of €34,956 (for all preterm infants), €35,056 (for infants fewer than 33 weeks’ gestational age), €35,233 (for infants 33-35 weeks’ gestational age), €35,611 (for infants with bronchopulmonary dysplasia), and €8956 (for infants with congenital heart disease).”
The researchers said administration of palivizumab was cost-effective, even when the infants had seven injections.
The researchers based these predictions on 1,579 children hospitalized because of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) lower respiratory tract infection during the course of 16 seasons.
“Overall, RSV is associated with 20% of hospitalizations, 18% of emergency department visits and 15% of office visits for acute respiratory infections from November to April,” according to background material provided in the study.
Although the researchers’ conclusions differed from a 2005 cost-effectiveness model from Florida, the researchers wrote that the earlier paper did not include indirect costs or costs associated with wheezing after RSV infection.
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
 |
Follow the PediatricSuperSite.com on Twitter. |