Quadrivalent influenza vaccine could offer more clinical benefits and higher cost savings, as compared to trivalent influenza vaccine, if used on a large scale, according to a study in Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics.
Four influenza strains in circulation cause the majority of influenza cases — two of type A and two of type B. Trivalent influenza vaccine contains both type A strains and one type B strain, while quadrivalent influenza vaccine includes all four strains. Using models, researchers examined the impact the quadrivalent influenza vaccine would have had if it had been used instead of trivalent influenza vaccine in recent years in Brazil, Colombia and Panama.
Sign up for our FREE E-Weekly for more coverage like this sent to your inbox
The study shows that, overall, quadrivalent influenza vaccine would have provided health benefits in the three countries. Specifically, an annual average of 120,000 influenza cases would be avoided with quadrivalent influenza vaccine in the targeted population in Brazil, notes lead study author Aurélien Jamotte of Creativ-Ceutical, a France-based international consulting firm dedicated to supporting the life science industry.
Researchers estimated that the total societal cost savings would have been between $1,000 and $34,000 per 100,000 person-years, had the quadrivalent influenza vaccine been used in recent flu seasons in the three countries.