Estimation of Relative Vaccine Effectiveness in Influenza: A Systematic Review of Methodology.

Content Provider	Europe PMC
Author	McMenamin, Martina E. Bond, Helen S. Sullivan, Sheena G. Cowling, Benjamin J.
Copyright Year	2022
Abstract	Background:When new vaccine components or platforms are developed, they will typically need to demonstrate noninferiority or superiority over existing products, resulting in the assessment of relative vaccine effectiveness (rVE). This review aims to identify how rVE evaluation is being performed in studies of influenza to inform a more standardized approach.Methods:We conducted a systematic search on PubMed, Google Scholar, and Web of Science for studies reporting rVE comparing vaccine components, dose, or vaccination schedules. We screened titles, abstracts, full texts, and references to identify relevant articles. We extracted information on the study design, relative comparison made, and the definition and statistical approach used to estimate rVE in each study.Results:We identified 63 articles assessing rVE in influenza virus. Studies compared multiple vaccine components (n = 38), two or more doses of the same vaccine (n = 17), or vaccination timing or history (n = 9). One study compared a range of vaccine components and doses. Nearly two-thirds of all studies controlled for age, and nearly half for comorbidities, region, and sex. Assessment of 12 studies presenting both absolute and relative effect estimates suggested proportionality in the effects, resulting in implications for the interpretation of rVE effects.Conclusions:Approaches to rVE evaluation in practice is highly varied, with improvements in reporting required in many cases. Extensive consideration of methodologic issues relating to rVE is needed, including the stability of estimates and the impact of confounding structure on the validity of rVE estimates.
Related Links	https://europepmc.org/backend/ptpmcrender.fcgi?accid=PMC8983951&blobtype=pdf
ISSN	10443983
Journal	Epidemiology (Cambridge, Mass.) [Epidemiology]
Volume Number	33
PubMed Central reference number	PMC8983951
Issue Number	3
PubMed reference number	35213508
e-ISSN	15315487
DOI	10.1097/ede.0000000000001473
Language	English
Publisher	Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
Publisher Date	2022-05-01
Publisher Place	Hagerstown, MD
Access Restriction	Open
Rights License	This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives License 4.0 (CCBY-NC-ND), where it is permissible to download and share the work provided it is properly cited. The work cannot be changed in any way or used commercially without permission from the journal. Copyright © 2022 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.
Subject Keyword	Relative vaccine effectiveness Relative vaccine efficacy Influenza Vaccine effectiveness methodology
Content Type	Text
Resource Type	Article
Subject	Epidemiology