Consumer willingness to pay for a hypothetical Chikungunya vaccine in Brazil and the implications

Sarmento, Túlio Tadeu and Godói, Isabella Piassi and Reis, Edna Afonso and Godman, Brian and Ruas, Cristina Mariano (2019) Consumer willingness to pay for a hypothetical Chikungunya vaccine in Brazil and the implications. In: EuroDURG 2020, 2020-03-03 - 2020-03-07. (In Press)

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Abstract

Background: Chikungunya fever is an important infectious disease transmitted by the bite of Aedes genus mosquitoes infected with the Chikungunya Virus (CHIKV). Information about consumers’ willingness to pay (WTP) for a hypothetical vaccine against CHIKV can help discussions about prices and funding in countries with limited resources. Methods: Cross-sectional study among adult residents of Minas Gerais, Brazil, asking if they were willing to pay the price for a hypothetical chikungunya vaccine defined by the authors with an effective protection of 80% and the possibility of local and systemic side-effects. Residents were provided with information if not familiar with the virus. The price was randomly varied between participants in five values: US$11.69 (45.00BRL), US$23.38 (90.00BRL), US$46.75 (180.00BRL), US$93.51 (360.00BRL) and US$187.90 (720.00BRL). We included this aspect due to issues with any anchoring effect. Results: 496 individuals were interviewed. Among these, 23 were excluded. Most of the respondents were female (57.3%), had completed at least high school (90.7%), were employed (87.7%) and had private health insurance (62.6%). The median value of the WTP was US$ 31.17 (120.00 BRL) for a unique dose vaccine. There was a statistical significant correlation with monthly family income and access to private health insurance. Conclusion: This study can contribute to decision-making about potential prices for a CHIKV vaccine when it becomes available in Brazil. We also showed the anchoring effect as a possible influence on consumers’ WTP in studies with similar techniques. Finally, we encourage the development of a chikungunya virus vaccine to benefit the Brazilian population.