The potential clinical impact and cost-effectiveness of the updated COVID-19 mRNA Autumn 2024 vaccines in the United Kingdom

Abstract

AbstractAimsTo estimate the potential clinical impact and cost-effectiveness of a United Kingdom (UK) Autumn 2024 vaccination campaign with an updated Moderna COVID-19 vaccine in adults ≥65 years and eligible persons 6 months to 64 years of age over a 1-year time horizon (September 2024-August 2025).Materials and methodsA compartmental Susceptible-Exposed-Infected-Recovered model was adapted to reflect COVID-19 cases in the UK. Numbers of symptomatic infections, COVID-19– related hospitalizations and deaths, costs, and quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) were predicted using a decision tree. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of an updated Moderna mRNA vaccine (Moderna Autumn 2024 Campaign) was compared to no Autumn 2024 vaccine and to an updated Pfizer-BioNTech mRNA Autumn 2024 vaccine, from a healthcare perspective.ResultsThe Moderna Autumn 2024 Vaccination Campaign is predicted to decrease the expected 8.3 million symptomatic infections with no vaccination by 19% to 6.7 million. Hospitalizations, long COVID cases, and deaths are expected to decline by 27,000 (−38%), 59,000 (−19%), and 6000 (−43%), respectively. The Moderna Autumn 2024 Campaign will increase QALYs by 78,000 and costs by £665 million, yielding an ICER of £8500/QALY gained. Sensitivity analyses suggest that vaccine effectiveness (VE) and waning, symptomatic infection incidence, hospitalization rates, and mortality rates drive cost-effectiveness. Vaccination remains cost-effective when lowering the target population to ≥50 years. Use of the Moderna vaccine is expected to prevent 8000 more hospitalizations and 1700 more deaths than the updated Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.ConclusionsVaccination of the eligible population would contribute to significant reductions in hospitalizations, deaths, and long COVID in the UK in the 2024-2025 season. Expanding the target population continues to be cost-effective. Use of the Moderna Autumn 2024 Campaign is predicted to reduce SARS-CoV-2 infections and associated outcomes in a cost-effective manner and will contribute to a more resilient healthcare system in the UK.