Analysis Group Researchers Coauthor First Study Revealing Age-Specific Incidence of Pneumococcal Disease in Young Children

BOSTON, June 6, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Researchers from Analysis Group, a global leader in health economics and outcomes research (HEOR), have coauthored the first large-scale US study of how pneumococcal disease (PD) manifests by age group, insurance status, and sociodemographic characteristics in young children aged 0–2 years during the study period (1998–2019). The study, published in the journal Vaccine, offers providers detailed insights into age-specific risks tied to waning immunity from maternal antibodies, vaccination habits, insurance status, and urban versus rural residence.

Investigators compared claims data for children aged 0–6, 7–12, 13–24, and 25–48 months who experienced episodes of invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD), all-cause pneumonia (ACP), or acute otitis media (AOM) from a population of 6.3 million commercially insured and 10.7 million Medicaid-insured patients. The findings show that:

• Incidence rates of IPD, ACP, and AOM decreased in children from 1998 to 2019. However, burden of disease remained substantial, especially among children aged 0–6 months and Medicaid-insured children.
• Incidence rates of IPD were higher in Medicaid-insured versus commercially insured children, and manifested most frequently among the 0–6 group, regardless of coverage type.
• Children 0–6 months old with ACP required hospitalization more often than older children, who were more likely to receive outpatient treatment.
• In contrast to more severe disease manifestations (i.e., IPD and ACP requiring hospitalization), incidents of AOM were lowest in the 0–6 group and highest in children aged 7–12 months, regardless of the type of insurance coverage. Moreover, incidence rates for AOM were lower among Medicaid-covered children as compared to commercially insured children.
• Among the commercially insured population, incidence rates of IPD, ACP, and AOM were generally higher for children living in rural areas as compared to those living in urban areas.

The study, “Incidence of pneumococcal disease in children ≤48 months old in the United States: 1998–2019,” was published in April by Vaccine.

Study investigators included Analysis Group Managing Principal James Signorovitch, Vice President Yan Song, Managers Nicolae Done and Qing Liu, and Associate Travis Wang; and Salini Mohanty, Eric M. Sarpong, Meghan White, Jessica P. Weaver, and Thomas Weiss of Merck & Co. Inc. Funding for this study was provided by Merck.

To learn more about Analysis Group’s HEOR capabilities, visit www.analysisgroup.com/healthoutcomes. 

About Analysis Group’s HEOR, Epidemiology & Market Access Practice

Founded in 1981, Analysis Group is one of the largest international economics consulting firms, with more than 1,200 professionals across 14 offices. Analysis Group’s health care experts apply analytical expertise to health economics and outcomes research (HEOR), clinical research, market access and commercial strategy, and health care policy engagements, as well as drug safety-related engagements in epidemiology. Analysis Group’s internal experts, together with our network of affiliated experts from academia, industry, and government, provide our clients with exceptional breadth and depth of expertise and end-to-end consulting services globally.

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SOURCE Analysis Group