Economic Evaluations for Malaria Vaccines: A Systematic Review.
Abstract
Objective
To conduct a systematic review of complete economic evaluations related to malaria vaccines.
Methods
The review was conducted using articles from PubMed, EMBASE, Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences Literature, and the Center for Reviews and Dissemination at the University of York, as well as reports from different Latin-American and European agencies covering the period 2009-2026. Key characteristics of the included studies were summarized following the Consolidated Health Economic Evaluation Reporting Standards 2022 guidelines. Quality and comparability were assessed through the respective tools. The review was registered in the Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (CRD42025633693).
Results
A total of 12 studies were included: 10 evaluated the RTS,S/AS01 vaccine, 1 evaluated R21/Matrix-M, and 1 was not specified. According to the Quality of Health Economic Studies methodology, 2 studies were classified as high quality, 7 as medium quality, and 3 as low quality. None showed high comparability with the Colombian context. The cost per prevented disability-adjusted life-years ranged between 87 and 321 USD per prevented disability-adjusted life-years.
Conclusions
Direct comparative analyses between available malaria vaccines are needed. Although existing models are largely applicable to African settings, substantial adaptation is required for the American context.