Grant: Health System Impact Fellowships - PostDoc Western Canada 2 year

Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) causes upper and lower respiratory tract illnesses in adults and children. While generally mild in adults, RSV can result in serious illness, hospitalization and death in infants. To date, the best method to prevent serious RSV infection is the passive immunization of at-risk children with 4-5 doses of the drug palivizumab during the RSV season. Due to the high price tag for a course of palivizumab (~$5,600 per child per season in Canada; totalling $2-3 million per season in Alberta), there is ongoing debate about the cost-effectiveness of this intervention. The Canadian Pediatric Society (CPS) recently updated their recommendations on the use of palivizumab; however, Alberta is not currently following these updated recommendations. The Alberta Ministry of Health is considering more closely aligning their RSV prevention policies with the eligibility criteria currently recommended by CPS; however, prior to making a decision they want to understand the economic and health consequences of applying different palivizumab guidelines in Alberta. To address this issue, we will determine the utilization and cost associated with palivizumab in Alberta. Moreover, we will conduct an economic evaluation of palivizumab based on current practice in Alberta, in comparison to the CPS guidelines. Finally, to help build sustainable capacity at the Alberta Ministry of Health to use economic evidence, we will produce recommendations for the Alberta Advisory Committee on Immunization to consider when reviewing and synthesizing economic analyses on immunizations.