Value Recognition of Combination Vaccines: What Is Needed to Support Access and Uptake?

OBJECTIVES: Combination vaccines are an approach that has been used for many years in routine immunisation, for example MMR and DTaP. They are valuable tools for reducing the number of injections needed to protect against multiple diseases and for optimising vaccination schedules. Historically, most combination vaccines have been paediatric vaccines or travel vaccines. The COVID-19 pandemic and the emergence of new technology platforms has prompted a resurgence in vaccine innovation. Several types of combination vaccines are currently under development, many of which target multiple respiratory infections across the life-course. This research aims to identify the impact of new combination vaccines on healthcare systems and their value perception across different decision-makers involved in vaccine access.

METHODS: An online survey was undertaken to gather perspectives on the value and access considerations for combination vaccines. The survey was carried out across 20 National Immunization Technical Advisory Group (NITAG) members and payers across EU5 and the US.

RESULTS: NITAG members recognised the benefits in reducing the burden of respiratory disease on healthcare systems. They offer people more convenient vaccination options that could improve compliance and provide stronger protection from seasonal illnesses. Combination vaccines are particularly helpful when co-infection leads to more severe outcomes. However, payers highlighted the challenges in assessing their value and price, as it may be difficult to demonstrate incremental health and economic value of combinations compared with stand-alone components. The pipeline of multiple combination vaccines across different respiratory diseases are expected to put strain on healthcare budgets, and payers foresee the need for price reductions.

CONCLUSIONS: There are differences in the value perception of combination vaccines across NITAGs and payers. Vaccine manufacturers should ensure the development of evidence to support value drivers across different stakeholders. Healthcare decision-makers should ensure sufficient funding is allocated to vaccines to support their access and uptake.