Disposição a pagar para uma vacina hipotética contra a doença de Chagas no Norte do Brasil: um estudo transversal

Abstract

Chagas disease is an important infection caused by Trypanosoma cruzi and there is currently no vaccine available. OBJECTIVES: Aassess the willingness to pay for a hypothetical vaccine against Chagas disease involving residents located in the Northern Region of Brazil. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this context, a questionnaire developed by the work team, applied in eleven locations in Pará, was used for data collection. The study was carried out in the second half of 2019 and sought to estimate the consumer willingness to pay for a hypothetical vaccine against illness Chagas disease, with an estimated effectiveness of 80%, based on the contingent valuation analysis. RESULTS: 619 individuals were interviewed and the median maximum willingness to pay for the hypothetical vaccine was R$ 100.00 (US $ 23.77). The study revealed that men (p = 0.003) and individuals with higher monthly family income (p = 0.000) were willing to pay higher amounts for the hypothetical vaccine. CON-CLUSIONS: This study aims to contribute to the discussions applied to the decision-making process on the pricing of an immunobiological product, for the prevention of Chagas disease, to be developed and made available for sale in Brazil. In addition, it is emphasized that new epidemiological and economic studies associated with this and other infections should be en-couraged and carried out, in order to support the assessment of new technologies.