The global economic burden of antibiotic-resistant infections and the potential impact of bacterial vaccines: a modelling study

Introduction

Antibiotic resistance (ABR) may increase hospital costs, utility loss and mortality risk per patient. Understanding these losses at national, regional and global scales is necessary for efficiently tackling ABR. Our aim is to estimate the global economic burden of antibiotic-resistant infections and the potential for bacterial vaccines to mitigate this burden.

Methods

We take healthcare system and labour productivity perspectives. Hospital cost-per-case and length-of-stay estimates were calculated through meta-analyses and reviewing published systematic reviews. Unit labour productivity losses were estimated through a human capital approach. Modelled estimates were used where secondary data were missing. Death and incidence data were combined with unit cost data to estimate the economic burden associated with ABR in 2019, and the potential costs averted (in 2019 US$) based on uptake scenarios of vaccines that currently exist or are likely to be developed.

Results

Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis had the highest mean hospital cost attributable to ABR per patient, the range was US$3000 in lower-income settings to US$41 000 in high-income settings, with carbapenem-resistant infections associated with a high cost-per-case of US$3000–US$7000 depending on syndrome. ABR was associated with a median value of US$693 billion (IQR: US$627 bn–US$768 bn) in hospital costs globally, with US$207 bn (IQR: US$186 bn–US$229 bn) potentially avertable by vaccines. Productivity losses were quantified at almost US$194 billion, with US$76 bn avertable by vaccines.

Conclusions

The economic burden of ABR is associated with high levels of hospital bed-days occupied, hospital spending and labour productivity losses globally and should, therefore, remain high on national and international policy agendas. Vaccines againstStaphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniaewould avert a substantial portion of the economic burden associated with ABR. More robust evidence, particularly in low-income countries, on the hospital costs, associated with and attributable to ABR, is needed.