The Palestinian Ministry of Health (MOH) introduced the rotavirus vaccine ROTARIX® in its routine immunization program in 2016. Two years later, the MOH decided to switch to ROTAVAC®, a rotavirus vaccine made in India. Given the lower price of ROTAVAC, such a move might seem like a clear choice. In reality, the overall cost of vaccination programs is influenced by a variety of vaccine characteristics, such as the packaging volume and number of doses required. When comparing the health and economic value of different vaccine products, assessing multiple criteria beyond just price allows countries to account for the economic implications of all vaccine characteristics.
This switch therefore provided a unique opportunity to compare the overall costs, impact, and cost-effectiveness of both rotavirus vaccines in a public-sector setting. The resulting analysis, conducted by PATH and partners, found that both vaccines have a high probability of being cost-effective compared to no vaccination in Palestine. But when compared to ROTARIX, ROTAVAC was cost-saving. Find out more in this brief, available in English, French, Russian, and Arabic.