Cost-effectiveness analysis of human papillomavirus-vaccination programs to prevent cervical cancer in Austria

Objective: The study predicts long-term cervical cancer related population health and economic effects of introducing the HPV-vaccination for 12-year-old girls (and boys) in addition to current screening compared with screening only. Method: Health effects are predicted by a dynamic transmission model. Model results are used to calculate incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICER) in (sic) per life year gained (LYG) for a time-horizon between 2008 and 2060 from a public payer and a societal perspective. Results: Vaccination of girls results a discounted ICER of (sic) 64,000/LYG and (sic) 50,000/LYG from a payer's and societal perspectives respectively. The additional vaccination of boys increases the ICER to (sic) 311,000 and (sic) 299,000/LYG respectively. Results were most sensitive to vaccination price, discount rate and time-horizon. Conclusion: HPV-vaccination for girls should be cost-effective when adopting a longer time-horizon and a societal perspective. Applying a shorter time frame and a payer's perspective or vaccinating boys may not be cost-effective without reducing the vaccine price. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.