[The economic value of vaccinations: a systematic review of Italian economic evaluations and HTA reports].

INTRODUCTION: Decision-making in healthcare should rely on evidence-based approaches able to make possible a transparent and robust assessment of all the aspects related to health technologies. One of the assessment elements is represented by the efficiency that is the specific objective of economic evaluations and also of Health Technology Assessment (HTA). The collection and synthesis of evidence is the first indispensable step in order to foster a proper convey of scientific knowledge to the decision-makers. This work, carried out within a broader project on the transfer of evidence from the scientific to the decision making world, is aimed to release an overview of economic evaluations and HTA on vaccines conducted in Italy. The project was carried out within the activities of the ISPOR Italy-Rome Chapter.

METHODS: A systematic review of Italian economic evaluations and HTA performed on vaccines and published up to May 2015 was carried out. PubMed, Scopus and the NIHR HTA databases were queried and a hand-search was performed on key journals in the field (Global & Regional Health Technology Assessment; PharmacoEconomics Italian Research Articles; Giornale italiano di HTA; Politiche Sanitarie; HTA Focus - Pills of Clinical Governance; Pillole di Farmacoeconomia; Giornale Italiano di Farmacoeconomia e Farmacoutilizzazione; IJPH; Quaderni dell'IJPH). Studies were considered eligible if showing the results of a full economic evaluations and if performed in Italy.

RESULTS: The literature search yielded 10 HTA reports and 33 economic evaluations. Among the latter, 20 (60,6%) were cost-effectiveness analyses. Ten studies (23,3%) assessed the vaccination against S. pneumoniae figuring out that it is cost-effectiveness and even costsaving in cases of newborns and subjects at risk. Nine studies (20,9%) addressed influenza vaccination and demonstrated its dominance on non-vaccination in the elderly. Eight studies (18,6%) evaluated the HPV vaccines concluding that they are cost-effective. Five studies (11,6%) devoted to anti-rotavirus vaccination showing its dominance on non-vaccination, in particular from the society perspective. Vaccination against pertussis, hepatitis B, chicken pox, measles, rubella, mumps were eventually shown cost-saving. The vaccine against Neisseria meningitidis was considered potentially cost-effective.

CONCLUSION: The Italian scientific evidence on efficiency of vaccination is broad and allows concluding that vaccinations are value for money interventions.