OBJECTIVES : Vaccination has been shown to be the most cost-effective disease prevention measure of all time, however vaccine expenditure is relatively low in most of the countries. The purpose of this analysis was to evaluate the cost of vaccination in Czech Republic and the expenditure impact of higher vaccine coverage rates (VCRs) in national immunization program (NIP) reflecting also NIP expansion with new vaccines (rotavirus, meningococcal and varicella vaccination).

METHODS : A model was developed to estimate the cost of vaccination in Czech Republic for a period of 10 years, starting from 2019. Current spending on vaccines was estimated by analyzing data on demographics, VCRs, publicly available vaccine prices as well as overall healthcare expenditure.

RESULTS : Overall annual cost of vaccines in Czech Republic in 2019 is € 13 557 630 which represents 0.52% of the total healthcare budget. Even after NIP extension with meningococcal, rotavirus and varicella vaccines the NIP expenditure share from the total healthcare budget stays at the same level (around 0,52 %). Cost of NIP per capita in 2019 is €5,1 (12 vaccines included), after NIP extension the cost rises to €6,5 (16 vaccines included).

CONCLUSIONS : Results of this analyses shows that vaccines still entail a relatively low level of investment in the Czech Republic. Even with increasing VCRs for several vaccines and inclusion of new vaccines into NIP, they would represent around 0,5% of the total healthcare budget. Improving uptake of vaccination is critical in periods when payers are looking for solutions for more efficient healthcare resource use, but this will require appropriate budgets and resources to be allocated to vaccination programs.