Ontario, Canada - Approximately 430,000 Canadians are infected with hepatitis B virus, and an estimated 346 deaths per year in Ontario are directly attributable to chronic HBV infection. New generation oral nucleos(t)ide antiviral medications for chronic hepatitis B infection are known to be more expensive and potent and they have become the preferred first-line treatment for hepatitis B in clinical practice.
A group of researchers from McMaster University, the PATH Research Institute and St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton conducted a health economic modeling study to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of currently available oral nucleos(t)ide antiviral treatments. The study, entitled, “
Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Antiviral Treatments for HBeAg-Positive Chronic Hepatitis B in Canada,” demonstrates that among the four nucleos(t)ide analogues, tenofovir generated cost savings (compared to the reference treatment lamivudine) in the base case analysis over a patient’s lifetime. It also has the most favorable treatment effect in terms of quality-adjusted life years and long-term cumulative incidence of cirrhosis, decompensated cirrhosis and liver cancer.
The cost-effectiveness analysis has identified the antiviral medication that is most cost-effective for treating chronic hepatitis B infection, and is the first health economic evaluation to examine the value for money of these drugs taking a Canadian payer’s perspective.
Jing He, MHSA, MSc, principle investigator of this study stated, “Despite the differences between studies, the cost-effectiveness results of this study are highly consistent with previously published economic evaluations in other countries.”
This study is published in
Value in Health, the official journal of the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR).
Value in Health (ISSN 1098-3015) publishes papers, concepts, and ideas that advance the field of pharmacoeconomics and outcomes research as well as policy papers to help health care leaders make evidence-based decisions. The journal is published bi-monthly and has over 8,000 subscribers (clinicians, decision makers, and researchers worldwide).
International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR) is a nonprofit, international, educational and scientific organization that strives to increase the efficiency, effectiveness, and fairness of health care resource use to improve health.
For more information:
www.ispor.org