Pneumococcal vaccine is effective in preventing invasive pneumococcal disease in adults ≥65 years of age, but it is not widely
used in Western Europe. In this study, data from an earlier (1995) cost-effectiveness study on Belgium, France, Scotland,
Spain, and Sweden are updated, and data on five new countries—Denmark, the UK (specifically, England and Wales), Germany,
Italy and The Netherlands—are added. Epidemiological and economic variables specific for each country were used, and it was
assumed that pneumococcal and influenza vaccines would both be administered during the same physician visit. In the base-case
analyses, the cost-effectiveness ratios ranged from €9239 to €23,657 per quality-adjusted life-year. Because the incidence
and mortality of invasive pneumococcal disease were underestimated in most countries, a country-by-country analysis was performed,
assuming an incidence of 50 cases per 100,000 population and mortality rates of 20, 30 and 40%. For a mortality of 20%, the
cost-effectiveness ratios ranged from €4,778 to €17,093, and for a mortality of 30%, they ranged from €3,186 to €11,395. Pneumococcal
vaccination to prevent invasive pneumococcal disease in elderly adults was very cost-effective in all 10 countries. This evidence
justifies the wider use of the vaccine in Western Europe.