Cost-Benefit Analysis of Human Papillomavirus Vaccine in Iran.

Despite increasing global attention to the national human papillomavirus (HPV) immunization program, this program is controversial in Iran. Evidence indicates that HPV vaccination is not cost-effective in Iran. Using cost-effectiveness analysis for decision-making about public health interventions such as vaccination is controversial because its potential benefits may not fit this framework. This study aimed to evaluate the economic effects of the HPV vaccination by cost-benefit analysis (CBA) using bivalent and quadrivalent in Iran in 2020. We performed a CBA from a societal perspective. We used two approaches of the vaccine's economic benefits: willingness to pay by discrete choice experiment and cost of illness. Costs only included the vaccine cost. The cost of two doses of bivalent and quadrivalent vaccines were US $29 and the US $151, respectively (US $1 = IRR 42,000). The benefits of bivalent and quadrivalent vaccines were US $ - 432, US $380 per person using the willingness to pay approach, and they were US $7375 and US $6590 thorough cost-of-illness approach. The cost-benefit ratio (CBR) of bivalent and quadrivalent vaccines was - 15.11 and 2.51 by the willingness to pay approach, and 258.12 and 43.51 by the cost of illness approach. This study confirms the benefits of the national bivalent and quadrivalent vaccination programs and provides reliable evidence for policy-makers programming HPV vaccination.

Economic Burden of Gynecological Cancers in Iran.

BACKGROUND: Gynecological cancers (GCs) are an important cause of morbidity and mortality among women worldwide. The incidence of cancer is increasing in Iran, and according to statistics, it has become the most important cause of mortality. This study aimed to assess the economic burden of GCs, including cervical, ovarian, and endometrial cancers, in Iran in 2014. METHODS: We used a prevalence-based cost of illness methodology to investigate the annual healthcare cost of GCs and to determine the productivity loss. The productivity loss was estimated, using the human capital approach. We obtained our data from a referral hospital for the year 2014; we also used expert opinion and occupational and statistical data. To estimate direct medical cost, we used bottom-up approach and we estimated the average cost of each procedure, multiplied by the number of patients receiving the procedure. RESULTS: The total cost of GCs in Iran was estimated at $51 million in 2014. The direct costs were $32 million, and indirect costs were $19 million of the total annual cost. The total cost of ovarian cancer was the highest among 3 cancers. CONCLUSIONS: Knowing that the cost of GCs has a significant impact on the burden of disease and imposes an economic burden on the country could force policy makers to allocate their resource in the prevention programs and new approach in patient's management. This could lead to diagnose more GCs in the early stages, reduce mortality, and increase the quality of life.

Mothers' preferences and willingness-to-pay for human papillomavirus vaccines in Iran: A discrete choice experiment study.

This study aimed to identify mothers' preferences and willingness-to-pay (WTP) for human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines (in this case, bivalent and quadrivalent) in Iran. We used a discrete choice experiment (DCE) method to present mothers with choices between two hypothetical profiles of vaccines, described by combinations of five attributes, each with two or three levels. We analyzed the DCE results using conditional logistic regression and measured WTP estimates for each attribute. Our response rate was 53.96%, while the completion rate for questioner was 93.57%. We identified protection against cervical cancer, protection against genital warts, protection duration, serious side effects, and cost to influence mothers' preferences for HPV vaccination. The relative importance for serious side effects was the highest among all attributes. Mothers' WTP for bivalent and quadrivalent HPV vaccines was in US $ -432 (US $1 = IRR 42,000) and US $ 380, respectively. Quadrivalent vaccination could be the most suitable candidate for implementing the national immunization schedule. The reason is that mothers express more WTP for the quadrivalent vaccine than bivalent due to its protection against genital warts.