OBJECTIVES:

Hemophilia A is a rare hereditary bleeding disorder caused by a lack of blood clotting FVIII, with high impact on patients’ quality of life.

This study aims to estimate the costs, the clinical consequences & the societal impact of the disease on health care system in Algeria where no economic study was conducted so far.

METHODS:

A cross-sectional, multicenter cost-of-illness study was carried out in six centers across Algeria treating adults and children. A questionnaire was developed to collect socio-demographic, clinical (e.g. bleed rates), as well as resource utilization data. Direct health care costs and lack of productivity for the patient were assessed for the whole population and compared among groups, categorized by age, weight and inhibitor development. The data was collected and validated by Algerian experts.

RESULTS:

The total number of patients in the study was N = 534, which represents almost 30% of the total haemophilia A diagnosed and treated patients in Algeria. The estimated total cost per year in Algeria was € 69 Million with an average cost per patient about € 94,699. The observed costs per patient are up to eight times higher for patients with inhibitors (449,000 €) vs. without inhibitors (54,130 €). The main cost driver was cost of drugs currently used (95% of total costs).

As there is only one center able to perform orthopedic surgeries on patients with hemophilia, many patients with disabilities are on a waiting list.

CONCLUSIONS:

The findings confirm that Haemophilia A represents a high economic burden in Algeria, especially in patients developing inhibitors. Prophylaxis is crucial to reduce long-term comorbidities, prevent permanent disabilities, and mitigate overall haemophilia costs.

Furthermore, developing specialized infrastructure such as orthopedic surgery centers will improve patient management and quality of life by reducing waiting times and disabilities.