Cost–effectiveness of palivizumab in infancy

Abstract

Respiratory syncytial virus is the most common cause of bronchiolitis, a lower respiratory tract infection occurring in infancy. It is responsible for several rehospitalizations, substantial morbidity and occasional deaths in the UK every year. Palivizumab is a recombinant monoclonal antibody that has been shown to reduce hospitalizations in infected infants. It is licensed for high-risk infants, primarily those born pre-term or with chronic pulmonary or cardiac conditions. Palivizumab is expensive, but several economic analyses have determined highly discrepant costs. This article reviews the limitations of the available efficacy and economic data, and highlights problems in interpretation and extrapolation. We also present the results of a cost–effectiveness analysis relevant to populations of high-risk infants in the UK.

Keywords::

• bronchopulmonary dysplasia
• chronic lung disease
• cost–effectiveness analysis
• monoclonal antibody
• palivizumab
• pre-term infant
• respiratory syncytial virus
• synagis

Financial & competing interests disclosure

Sandeep Dharmaraj was part funded by Abbott Laboratories for a follow-up study of RSV infections in preterm infants, but has no ongoing affiliations or financial involvement with them or any other relevant company. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.