Economic impact of treating inhibitor patients

A literature review of the economics of managing haemophilia patients with inhibitors was conducted. It showed that haemophilia with inhibitors places a burden on the healthcare system and on the patient. Use of rFVIIa compared to 'usual therapy' is associated with improvements on a number of outcomes, including speed of bleed resolution, duration of pain, and quality of life. The extra costs of rFVIIa can be justified by the additional benefits achieved: For example, the extra costs required to achieve a gain of one quality adjusted life year (QALY) in children with inhibitors has been shown to be comparable with that for other reimbursed healthcare strategies. Future research could focus on expanding our understanding of the impact of accelerated bleed resolution on long-term sequelae, including need for surgery and quality of life.