Strengthening the Evidence-Based Approach to Guiding Effective Influenza Vaccination Policies
Giovanna Elisa Calabrò,
Maria Lucia Specchia,
Sara Boccalini,
Donatella Panatto,
Caterina Rizzo,
Stefano Merler,
Anna Maria Ferriero,
Maria Luisa Di Pietro,
Paolo Bonanni,
Chiara de Waure
Affiliations
Giovanna Elisa Calabrò
Section of Hygiene, Department of Life Sciences and Public Health, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 00168 Rome, Italy
Maria Lucia Specchia
Section of Hygiene, Department of Life Sciences and Public Health, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 00168 Rome, Italy
Sara Boccalini
Department of Health Sciences, University of Florence, 50134 Florence, Italy
Donatella Panatto
Department of Health Sciences, University of Genoa, 16132 Genoa, Italy
Caterina Rizzo
Predictive and Preventive Medicine Research Unit, Multifactorial and Complex Disease Research Area, Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital, IRCCS, 00165 Rome, Italy
Stefano Merler
Bruno Kessler Foundation, 38122 Trento, Italy
Anna Maria Ferriero
Directorate-General for Health Planning, Ministry of Health, 00144 Rome, Italy
Maria Luisa Di Pietro
Section of Hygiene, Department of Life Sciences and Public Health, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 00168 Rome, Italy
Paolo Bonanni
Department of Health Sciences, University of Florence, 50134 Florence, Italy
Chiara de Waure
Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Perugia, 06132 Perugia, Italy
The availability of several effective and safe vaccines enables health systems to counteract annual influenza epidemics. However, the criteria of appropriateness and sustainability require that each citizen should receive the right vaccine. The value of each vaccine can be assessed within well-known frameworks, such as the Health Technology Assessment (HTA), a step that is fundamental to the process of allocating resources to vaccination strategies. The paper describes how HTA has been incorporated as an evidence-based tool to support the definition of Italian vaccination strategies, reports the results of the HTA report on the most recently available influenza vaccine in Italy (cell-based quadrivalent vaccine (QIVc)—Flucelvax® Tetra) and elaborates on current and future recommendations in the field of influenza vaccination. Recommendations issued by the Italian Ministry of Health foster the appropriate use of influenza vaccines from 2018–2019 onwards. Evidence of the value of newly available vaccines will hopefully support future decisions and promote the appropriate use of these vaccines on the basis of the characteristics of the target population. However, the success of influenza vaccination will also depend on citizens’ empowerment and engagement in the decision-making process.
