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Parthiv J. Mahadevia, MD, MPH; Frank J. Malinoski, MD, PhD

Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2007;161(5):519-520.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

The article in the October 2006 issue of the ARCHIVES by ElHassan and colleagues¹ concludes that respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) prophylaxis with palivizumab is not cost-effective, and therefore its use should be restricted. While this study includes the effects of asthma sequelae from RSV infection, readers need to appreciate that 2 key assumptions in the paper are controversial and strongly influence the results.

First, the authors have taken a highly conservative approach to valuing the benefits of avoiding asthma. Based on the Health Utilities Index,² the authors ascribe an incremental utility gain of 0.03 to the avoidance of asthma. However, Juniper et al² point out that the Health Utilities Index is not a sensitive instrument for measuring asthma quality of life. Therefore, we question the validity of this utility estimate. This is of particular concern, because the sensitivity analyses . . . [Full Text of this Article]

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RELATED LETTER

Cost-effectiveness of Respiratory Syncytial Virus Prophylaxis With Palivizumab—Reply
Melony E. S. Sorbero, Nahed O. ElHassan, Caroline B. Hall, Timothy P. Stevens, and Andrew W. Dick
Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2007;161(5):520.
EXTRACT | FULL TEXT  

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Cost-effectiveness Analysis of Palivizumab in Premature Infants Without Chronic Lung Disease
Nahed O. ElHassan, Melony E. S. Sorbero, Caroline B. Hall, Timothy P. Stevens, and Andrew W. Dick
Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2006;160(10):1070-1076.
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