Cost-effectiveness of human papillomavirus vaccination in girls living in Latin American countries: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: Cervical cancer is a major public health problem in Latin America. Cost-effectiveness studies help stakeholders with decisions regarding human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination programs, one of the main prevention measures. Our objective was to synthesize the results of cost-effectiveness studies of HPV vaccination in girls, to understand factors influencing cost-effectiveness in the region. Methods: We systematically searched databases as well as repositories from conferences, Ministries of Health and Health Technology Assessment offices. Incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) were extracted, with data converted to international dollars (I$) and inflated to 2019 values. We used the gross domestic product per capita as threshold for judging the cost-effectiveness of vaccination. We calculated the geometric mean ICER by type of vaccine, whether screening (cytology or HPV test) was used as com-parator, effectiveness measure, perspective, source of funding, year of cost, and country. Results: We found 24 studies. Despite the methodological differences, most studies concluded that HPV vaccination of girls in Latin American countries was either cost-saving or cost-effective. The mean ICER was I$ 3,804 for the bivalent vaccine, I$ 640 for the quadrivalent and I$ 358 for a generic HPV-16/18 vac-cine. The mean ICER was lower in the studies that used HPV DNA test instead of cytology (I$ 122 vs I$ 1,841) as comparator; used the societal perspective (I$ 235 vs. I$ 1,986); were funded by non-profit sources instead of by pharmaceutical industry (I$ 421 vs. I$ 2,676); and used costs obtained prior to 2008 (I$ 365 vs I$ 1,415). We observed great variation in the mean ICERs by effectiveness measure (I$ 402 for per disability adjusted life years, I$ 461 for life year saved, and I$ 1,795 for quality adjusted life years). Conclusions: Most studies concluded that HPV vaccination of girls in Latin America countries was cost-saving or cost-effective, despite heterogeneity between models. (c) 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.