Inpatient and outpatient costs associated with respiratory syncytial virus in Japanese infants and older adults

Objective: To evaluate healthcare resource use for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in Japan. Methods: Using JMDC and Medical Data Vision (MDV) claims databases, we retrospectively evaluated cost and length of hospital/intensive care unit stays in RSV-diagnosed cohorts of infants (<12 months) and older adults (OAs, ≥60 years). We analyzed the usage and costs of palivizumab in infants. Results: Mean costs among those hospitalized were $2823 (USD); $2851; and $6609 (¥131 [JPY]/$) in JMDC-infant (n = 13,752); MDV-infant (n = 22,142); and MDV-OA cohorts (n = 165), respectively. The mean cost was higher in those aged <1 month, with risk factors, and severe RSV disease. Mean cumulative cost of palivizumab prophylaxis in JMDC infant cohort was $6796/year. Conclusion: RSV causes enormous economic burden in infants and OAs. Plain language summary - Cost of treating respiratory syncytial virus infection in infants & elderly in Japan Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is an important disease in infants and older adults that affects the airways. Using two Japanese insurance databases we identified RSV patients aged under 1 year and above 59 years. We examined their healthcare use and calculated the cost within 1 month of the RSV diagnosis - we calculated the cost of RSV treatment in those hospitalized and not hospitalized. We also assessed the use of medicines and the days of stay in hospital or intensive care unit. The cost of treatment of hospitalized infants was more than $2800 per patient. The cost of treatment of hospitalized older adults was $6609 per patient. Clearly, the healthcare costs for hospitalized older adults were much higher than the average cost for hospitalized infants. However, infants aged less than 1 month, with risk factors, and with severe RSV disease had higher costs. The total cost for patients not hospitalized was more in infants than in older adults. Palivizumab can prevent RSV infection in infants. The collective total cost of palivizumab use was more than $6450 per infant aged 11 months. The medical management of RSV infection is very costly, and this is true both for infants and older adults. Tweetable abstract Costs and hospitalization associated with respiratory syncytial virus in Japanese infants and older adults were evaluated in a retrospective claims database study.