Modelling the cost-effectiveness of catch-up 'MenB' (Bexsero) vaccination in England

Abstract

We assessed the cost-effectiveness of offering catch-up vaccination with Bexsero against meningococcal disease to children too old to receive the vaccine under the recently introduced infant programme. Offering catch-up vaccination to increasingly older children is less economically attractive because of declining disease burden. We estimate catch-up vaccination of 1year old children could be cost-effective, incremental on the infant programme with a vaccine price of ⩽£8 per dose. Extending vaccination to 2year olds could only be cost-effective (incremental on infant and 1year old catch-up) with a vaccine price of ⩽£3 per dose and was not cost-effective in sensitivity analyses with more conservative vaccine assumptions. Extending catch-up further to 3-4year olds was not cost-effective. Employing the current criteria for assessing vaccines, our models suggest that even with low vaccine prices only catch-up vaccination in 1year old children could be cost-effective, when considered incrementally on the infant programme.