HPV Vaccination: Including Boys In The Programs Would Not Be Cost-Effective
Posted 10-13-2009 at 06:56 PM by admin
Medical News Today
Article Date: 09 Oct 2009 - 0:00 PDT
New research published on bmj.com today reports that if boys were included in human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination programs of pre-adolescent girls, it would not be cost-effective. It is probable that the costs of vaccinating boys will outweigh the added health benefits.
It has been consistently exposed in prior studies that HPV vaccination of pre-adolescent (12 year-old) girls provides good value for money. The latest data from clinical trials also imply that HPV vaccination in males has elevated efficacy against vaccine-type infections and genital lesions. Since HPV infections are sexually transmitted, vaccinating boys will probably give direct health benefits to the boys themselves as well as indirect health benefits to their sexual partners by reducing HPV transmission. However, the cost-effectiveness remains uncertain.
In order to find out more, researchers from The Harvard School of Public Health in Boston conducted a cost-effectiveness analysis. They compared HPV vaccination of pre-adolescent girls alone with vaccination of both pre-adolescent girls and boys in the US.
Models considering the dynamics of HPV infection and cervical cancer screening strategies were used in the study. The objective was to predict the health benefits and economic costs of programs by combining epidemiological, clinical, and demographic information from the US population.
In addition, the authors examined how alternative scenarios might impact on cost-effectiveness. They used various assumptions regarding screening practice, vaccine efficacy in boys, duration of vaccine protection, and long-term impact on health outcomes not yet observed in clinical trials (for example anal and oral cancers).
Interventions were considered good value for money if they were less than cost-effectiveness values ranging from $50,000 to $100,000 per quality-adjusted life year (QALY).
Read the rest of the article here.
© 2009 MediLexicon International Ltd
Article Date: 09 Oct 2009 - 0:00 PDT
New research published on bmj.com today reports that if boys were included in human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination programs of pre-adolescent girls, it would not be cost-effective. It is probable that the costs of vaccinating boys will outweigh the added health benefits.
It has been consistently exposed in prior studies that HPV vaccination of pre-adolescent (12 year-old) girls provides good value for money. The latest data from clinical trials also imply that HPV vaccination in males has elevated efficacy against vaccine-type infections and genital lesions. Since HPV infections are sexually transmitted, vaccinating boys will probably give direct health benefits to the boys themselves as well as indirect health benefits to their sexual partners by reducing HPV transmission. However, the cost-effectiveness remains uncertain.
In order to find out more, researchers from The Harvard School of Public Health in Boston conducted a cost-effectiveness analysis. They compared HPV vaccination of pre-adolescent girls alone with vaccination of both pre-adolescent girls and boys in the US.
Models considering the dynamics of HPV infection and cervical cancer screening strategies were used in the study. The objective was to predict the health benefits and economic costs of programs by combining epidemiological, clinical, and demographic information from the US population.
In addition, the authors examined how alternative scenarios might impact on cost-effectiveness. They used various assumptions regarding screening practice, vaccine efficacy in boys, duration of vaccine protection, and long-term impact on health outcomes not yet observed in clinical trials (for example anal and oral cancers).
Interventions were considered good value for money if they were less than cost-effectiveness values ranging from $50,000 to $100,000 per quality-adjusted life year (QALY).
Read the rest of the article here.
© 2009 MediLexicon International Ltd
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