Age makes a difference in how much older adults benefit from the high-dose influenza vaccine vs. standard-dose vaccine, according to a study conducted among those vaccinated in a community pharmacy setting.

The report in the Journal of Infectious Diseases pointed out that past studies have found that the high-dose influenza vaccine has a higher relative vaccine effectiveness (RVE) vs. standard-dose vaccines in some seasons. 

High-dose flu shot. Source: Getty

A study team involving the Food and Drug Administration and Stanford University evaluated the effect of age on the RVE of high-dose vs. standard-dose influenza vaccines among Medicare beneficiaries.

The 6-season retrospective cohort study was performed from 2012 to 2018 among Medicare beneficiaries aged 65 or older. Included were more than 19 million vaccinated beneficiaries in a community pharmacy setting. 

Analysis indicated a slightly increasing trend in RVE with age in all seasons, according to the researchers.

Specifically, they reported, the high-dose vaccine was more effective than standard-dose vaccines in preventing influenza-related hospital encounters (i.e. influenza-related inpatient stays and emergency department visits) in the 2012-2013 (RVE, 23.1%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 17.6%-28.3%), 2013-2014 (RVE, 15.3%; 95% CI, 7.8%-22.3%), 2014-2015 (RVE, 8.9%; 95% CI, 5.6%-12.1%), and 2016-2017 (RVE, 12.6%; 95% CI, 6.3%-18.4%) seasons. It was at least as effective in all other seasons, the researchers wrote.

“We also found that the high-dose vaccine was consistently more effective than standard-dose vaccines across all seasons for people aged ≥85 years,” the authors concluded. “Similar trends were observed for influenza-related inpatient stays.”

In essence, the study determined that the RVE of high-dose versus standard-dose influenza vaccines increases with age. Another recent study also found that the high-dose vaccine is cost-effective in older adults.

That report, published in the journal Vaccine, found that the high-dose influenza vaccine is more effective and less expensive for the U.S. Department of Veterans’ Affairs (VA) than the standard dose vaccine for veterans over age 65, new research showed. .

In fact, VA researchers pointed out that the savings were quite healthy: $202 per vaccinated recipient, adding that most of the cost savings comes from reducing the number of acute cardio-respiratory disease-related hospitalizations among veterans 

With 4.4% of the vaccinated veteran population over age 65 receiving the high-dose vaccine instead of the standard dose from the 2010/2011 flu season through the 2014/2015 flu season, the authors estimated that the VA saved $32 million in direct hospitalization costs compared to all veterans receiving the standard dose. If 10% of older veterans had received the high-dose vaccine, the VA could have reduced its costs by $74 million over the five flu seasons.