Economic Value of Next-Generation Vaccines in Türkiye: A Comparative Evaluation

Background

Vaccination programs are among the most effective and sustainable public health interventions for preventing infectious diseases. This study aims to comparatively evaluate the cost-effectiveness of potential H pylori, Meningococcal, and Leishmaniasis vaccines currently being developed within the scope of the KORTUP (National Platform for Prevention and Treatment), TÜBİTAK 1004 Project in Türkiye.

Methods

This study compares findings from three separate economic evaluation models. A Markov modeling approach was employed in all analyses. The primary outcome measures included costs, quality-adjusted life years (QALYs), and incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs). Results were interpreted using willingness-to-pay (WTP) thresholds based on Türkiye’s gross domestic product (GDP) per capita. The base-case threshold was set at USD 15,395, and an alternative scenario threshold of USD 30,790 (twice the base value) was also considered.

Results

The comparative analysis indicates that all three vaccine candidates may be cost-effective in Türkiye under specific model assumptions. In the base-case analysis, the ICER was estimated at USD 1,583 per QALY gained for the H pylori vaccine, USD 11,652/QALY for the Meningococcal vaccine, and USD 20,444/QALY for the Leishmaniasis vaccine. Accordingly, the H pylori and Meningococcal vaccines appear to be cost-effective under the GDP per capita threshold of USD 15,395, whereas the Leishmaniasis vaccine may be considered cost-effective only under the higher threshold of USD 30,790.

Conclusions

Comparative economic evaluation of vaccine candidates targeting different diseases can support more efficient allocation of limited healthcare resources by prioritizing interventions that generate the greatest societal benefit.

Key messages

• The Helicobacter pylori vaccine appears to be the most cost-effective option among the three candidates, followed by the meningococcal and leishmaniasis vaccines.

• Assessing the economic value of domestically developed vaccine candidates is strategic for informing national immunization policies and health technology assessment in Türkiye.