OBJECTIVES: In China, the scarcity of blood resources poses a challenge, with transfusion-dependent beta-thalassemia (TDT) Patients frequently experiencing delays in blood transfusions. TDT patients urgently desire to overcome anemic conditions, and the objective of this study is to measure their willingness to pay (WTP) for this.

METHODS: TDT patients' WTP for transfusion reflect their willingness to temporarily alleviate their anemia status. Adult patients with TDT were recruited using cluster sampling in China. The guiding techniques of double-bounded dichotomous choices and open- ended questions in the contingent valuation method were used to obtain participants' WTP for 1 unit of leukocyte-depleted red blood cells. Maximum likelihood estimation was used to estimate WTP.

RESULTS: 149 TDT patients were included in the analysis. These patients are from provinces with a high prevalence of TDT, including Guangxi, Guangdong, Yunnan, and Guizhou, with an average monthly income of $197.15. On average, these patients required 3.7 units per transfusion, and their WTP for 1 unit of leukocyte-depleted red blood cells averaged $70.45(P<0.0001,95%CI [62.01,78.88]). Consequently, the estimated WTP for temporary alleviation of anemia (per single transfusion) totaled at $260.63 (1.32 times the average monthly income per capita of surveyed patients). When disregarding their own economic circumstances, patients exhibited an average WTP of $151.45 for 1 unit of leukocyte-depleted red blood cells (P<0.001,95%CI [127.78,175.13]), equating to a WTP of $560.36 for temporary alleviation of anemia for a single transfusion (2.84 times the average monthly income per capita of surveyed patients).

CONCLUSIONS: Chinese TDT patients exhibited a relatively high WTP for temporary relief from anemic conditions, reflecting a strong desire to sustain life. However, due to the current shortage of blood resources, there exists unmet clinical demand for more innovative treatment solutions for TDT.