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Estimation of average diagnosis and treatment costs of hepatitis C
Sara Ashtari1, Mohsen Vahedi2, Mohamad Amin Pourhoseingholi1
1Gastroenterology and Liver Disease Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Insights
The cost of hepatitis C (HCV) treatment varies significantly by regimen. Pegylated interferon plus ribavirin (PEG-RIBV) treatment is substantially more expensive than standard interferon plus ribavirin (INF-RBV).
Area of Science:
- Hepatology
- Health Economics
- Public Health
Background:
- Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a significant global health concern, leading to considerable liver-related illness and mortality.
- Effective management of HCV is crucial due to its widespread impact and public health implications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To estimate the average costs associated with diagnosing and treating hepatitis C.
- To compare treatment costs based on different therapeutic regimens.
- To analyze costs during treatment and for six months post-treatment.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional study analyzed medical records of 77 patients with hepatitis C treated between 2005 and 2009.
- Patients with uncomplicated HCV (no interfering diseases) were included to accurately calculate attributable costs.
- Costs were reported in purchasing power parity dollars (PPP$).
Main Results:
- Treatment with standard interferon plus ribavirin (INF-RBV) averaged over 3,850 PPP$.
- Treatment with peg-interferon plus ribavirin (PEG-RIBV) averaged 16,494 PPP$.
- Medication expenses constituted the primary cost driver for both treatment types.
Conclusions:
- Hepatitis C management is a significant financial burden for healthcare systems.
- Patients require costly medications and substantial healthcare resources for treatment.
- Understanding treatment costs is vital for managing care and resource allocation.
Aim:
The objective of this study was to estimate the average cost of diagnosis and treatment of hepatitis C among patients based on their treatment regime, during the one course of treatment and six-month after stopping that.
Background:
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a major cause of liver-related morbidity and mortality worldwide and a major public health problem.
Patients And Methods:
All data for this cross-sectional study were collected from medical records of 200 patients with hepatitis C, who referred to a private gastroenterology clinic between years 2005 through 2009. Information related to the 200 patients was extracted from their medical records and finally, 77 patients of them, who their treatment was not interfering with any other disease entered in this study. Therefore diagnosis and treatment costs of these patients were calculated. Attributable costs were reported as purchasing power parity dollars (PPP$).
Results:
Mean costs of diagnosis and treatment in one course of treatment and six month after that with standard interferon plus ribavirin (INF-RBV) exceeds 3,850 PPP$ and for patients who treated with peg-interferon plus ribavirin (PEG-RIBV) was 16,494 PPP$. Also in both types of treatment, medication cost was found to be a dominant cost component.
Conclusion:
Hepatitis C represents a very important and potentially costly disease to managed care organizations. Patients with this disease require expensive drug therapies and consume significant health care resources.
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