Cost-Effectiveness of Nirsevimab for the Prevention of Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection in Infants

Abstract

During CADTH’s search of the economic literature, 3 economic studies were identified that assessed the cost-effectiveness of a long-acting monoclonal antibody, nirsevimab, as an intervention to prevent respiratory syncytial virus in infants in high-income countries, including 1 study set in Nunavik. The 3 studies were conducted for different geographical locations: Canada, the US, and England and Wales. While each study conducted an economic evaluation, their approaches differed: 1 was a cost-consequence analysis and the other 2 were cost-utility analyses. The results from the 3 studies varied considerably, and the nirsevimab programs differed (e.g., in terms of patients eligible for immunization). In general, nirsevimab was generally more effective and associated with lower total costs than comparator programs. The results were sensitive to the modelled region, source of efficacy data, price of nirsevimab, and severity of the respiratory syncytial virus season. The generalizability of the identified studies to Canadian policy-making may be limited given the population compositions and cost parameters included in the models. To understand the potential cost-effectiveness of nirsevimab, a de novo economic evaluation would be required that compared nirsevimab with the existing preventive strategies employed in Canada (which may include monoclonal antibodies for infants) and is conducted in a Canadian setting.