Cost-effectiveness of pneumococcal vaccines among adults over 50 years old in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review

This systematic review aims to provide a critical summary of economic evaluations of pneumococcal vaccines for adults aged 50 years or older in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs): a 23-valent polysaccharide vaccine (PPSV23), and a 13-valent conjugated vaccine (PCV13). We systematically searched for studies published until October2020 in PubMed and Web of Science. Searching strategies in this literature review were done using various combinations of terms related to ‘economic evaluation or cost-effectiveness or cost-benefit or cost-utility,’ ‘pneumococcal or PPSV or PCV or PPV,’ and ‘vaccine or vaccination or immunization’ in all fields. To be included, each study had to meet our inclusion criteria. Two authors reviewed and extracted studies. From 1,711 records, we included 18 studies for this review. All 18 studies were cost-effectiveness analysis. Compared with no vaccination, either PPSV23 or PCV13 was economically favorable, highly cost-effective, and in many cases, cost-saving for older adults. Studies compared one vaccination (PPSV23 or PCV13) over another and had different findings. While all studies recommended either PPSV23 or PCV13 for older adults in LMICs, substantial questions about potential bias in studies and whether conclusions hold after including the impact of indirect protection.