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- Title
Evaluating the cost of sustained virologic response in naïve chronic hepatitis C patients treated à la carte.
- Authors
BUTI, M.; CASADO, M. A.; ESTEBAN, R.
- Abstract
Background There is a tendency to individualize treatment in chronic hepatitis C patients depending on viral load and rapid clearance of HCV-RNA. Aim To evaluate the cost (€, 2006) per sustained virologic response in naïve patients with therapy à la carte compared with standard combination therapy. Methods A decision analysis model was used to compare standard therapy with peginterferon alpha and ribavirin for 24 weeks for genotype (G) 2/3, and 48 weeks for G1 and therapy à la carte with the same drugs but different durations: G1 high viral load for 48 weeks, G1 low viral load with rapid virologic response for 24 weeks, and without rapid virologic response for 48 weeks, and G2/3 with rapid virologic response for 12 weeks, and without rapid virologic response for 24 weeks. Results Sustained virologic response was similar in both strategies. The cost per successfully treated patient for standard therapy is €17 812 and for therapy à la carte€12 313. Assuming that 13 309 patients with standard therapy and 14 450 patients with therapy à la carte achieve sustained virologic response, therapy à la carte has an overall cost-saving of €59.13 million. Conclusion Therapy à la carte is a cost-saving strategy for chronic hepatitis C infection compared to standard therapy, with lower investment requirement per patient to achieve sustained virologic response.
- Subjects
HEPATITIS C; VIRAL hepatitis; VIRUS diseases; VIRAL replication; RIBAVIRIN; ANTIVIRAL agents
- Publication
Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics, 2007, Vol 26, Issue 5, p705
- ISSN
0269-2813
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1111/j.1365-2036.2007.03419.x