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Heini Salo

Publications and source records attributed to Heini Salo.

5 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Cost-effectiveness of influenza vaccination of healthy children.

Influenza vaccination of children 6-23 months of age is recommended in the United States and Canada because of high rates of influenza-associated hospitalisations, but few other countries have adopted similar policies. Most children with influenza are treated in the primary care setting, and the cost-effectiveness of influenza vaccination of children has not been fully established. We used a decision analysis model to assess the cost-effectiveness of influenza vaccination of children 6 months to 13 years of age in Finland. The analyses were based on comprehensive clinical data on virologically confirmed influenza infections, hospital medical records, and national registers. We estimated the impact of influenza on outpatient and hospitalised children and their families, and performed the analyses from the health care provider and societal perspective. Influenza vaccination resulted in savings in all programs including children <or=13 years of age from both the health care provider and societal perspective. Investing 1.7 million euros in vaccination of children <5 years of age yielded savings of 2.7 million euros in health care costs. From the health care provider perspective, the savings per vaccinated child ranged between 5.7 and 12.6 euros in any program including children up to 13 years of age. The vaccination was cost saving in all age groups even with assumed vaccine efficacy of 60%. The results show that influenza vaccination would be cost saving in all children <or=13 years of age in Finland, which advocates reconsideration of the current influenza vaccine recommendations in all countries.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

Economic evaluation of pneumococcal conjugate vaccination in Finland.

The aim of this study was to evaluate cost-effectiveness of pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV7) in children <5 y of age. A Markov simulation model was used to compare the cost-effectiveness of 4 doses (assumed 50.5 euros per dose) of PCV7 with no intervention. Only direct effects of the vaccine were taken into account. In Finland, vaccination of a birth cohort of 57,500 healthy infants would potentially prevent annually 60 cases of invasive PD, 1,400 cases of pneumococcal pneumonia, 15,000 episodes of acute otitis media, 3,000 otological surgery procedures and 0.9 deaths in children aged <5 y. Investing 12.0 million euros to vaccinate a birth cohort would save annually 6.3 million euros in medical, and 2.0 million euros in productivity and other, costs. Therefore, investing 1 euros in a vaccination programme would return 0.53 euros in medical costs and 0.70 euros in societal costs. In the base case, vaccination would cost society 139,986 euros per life y gained. To achieve cost savings from a health care provider (societal) perspective, without considering herd effects or replacement phenomenon, the price of PCV7 should be 50% (70%) of the price used in the base case.

Child, Preschool↗
PubMed2004

An economic evaluation of intermittent cyclosporin A therapy versus UVAB phototherapy in the treatment of patients with severe atopic dermatitis.

We performed a cost-effective evaluation of cyclosporin A versus UVAB phototherapy in the treatment of severe atopic dermatitis. The analysis was based on a one-year open prospective clinical trial conducted in Finland and showed that patients who received intermittent cyclosporin A therapy had on average 191 remission days per year, i.e. where disease activity was reduced by 50% or more. Patients receiving UVAB phototherapy had on average 123 remission days per year. All costs were estimated for the one-year period. Health service utilization of the 2 treatment groups was estimated based on the data gathered during the clinical study. Total costs were USD 5,438 in the cyclosporin A group and USD 5,635 in the UVAB group. Direct health-care costs were USD 4,935 in the cyclosporin A group and USD 3,124 in the UVAB group. The cost of a remission day was USD 28 in the cyclosporin A group and USD 46 in the UVAB group. In terms of direct health-care costs, the cost of a remission day was USD 26 in the cyclosporin A group and USD 25 in the UVAB group. Our results demonstrate that cyclosporin A therapy is similarly cost-effective as UVAB phototherapy in terms of total cost in the treatment of atopic dermatitis unresponsive to topical treatment. In terms of direct health-care costs, i.e. treatment and health services utilization costs, however, UVAB is significantly less costly, but side effects are frequent.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Cost effectiveness of oral terbinafine (Lamisil) compared with oral fluconazole (Diflucan) in the treatment of patients with toenail onychomycosis.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the cost effectiveness of terbinafine (Lamisil) tablets compared with fluconazole (Diflucan) capsules in the treatment of patients with toenail onychomycosis. METHODS: Data from a randomised, double-blind, double-dummy, multicentre study were used as the basis for this study. Terbinafine 250 mg/day for 12 weeks (n = 48) was compared with fluconazole 150mg once weekly for 12 weeks (n = 45) or 24 weeks (n = 44) in patients with culture-confirmed toenail onychomycosis caused by dermatophyte infection. At the end of the study (week 60), complete clinical cure of the target toenail was achieved in 67% of patients in the terbinafine group, compared with 21 and 32%, respectively, in the 12- and 24-week fluconazole groups. We subsequently used these data to calculate the cost effectiveness of the three treatment regimens, defining cost effectiveness as the cost per complete clinical cure of the target toenail at week 60. RESULTS: The cost effectiveness of terbinafine for each complete clinical cure was superior to that of either of the fluconazole regimens. Costs per cure were Finnish markka (Fmk) 2824 ($US618) for terbinafine, compared with Fmk3748 ($US820) and Fmk4922 ($US1077), respectively, for the two fluconazole regimens. CONCLUSIONS: The clinical study showed that terbinafine was significantly more effective than fluconazole in the treatment of onychomycosis, achieving statistically higher rates of mycological and clinical cure. We have now shown that terbinafine is also more cost effective. These findings have important implications for both medical and social policy.

Administration, Oral↗