Safety-Engineered Syringes: An Intervention to Decrease Hepatitis C Burden in Developing Countries-A...

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Health Economics
• Infectious Disease Prevention

Background:

• Unsafe injection practices in healthcare settings contribute to the hepatitis C virus (HCV) burden.
• Assessing the cost-effectiveness of safety-engineered syringes (SES) is crucial for reducing HCV transmission.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of introducing SES compared to conventional syringes (CS) in Egyptian healthcare settings.
• To determine the impact of SES adoption on decreasing HCV burden resultant from unsafe injections.

Main Methods:

• A 30-year Markov process model was developed for a hypothetical cohort in Egypt.
• The model compared SES use with conventional syringes (CS) under the national treatment program.
• Health benefits (QALYs) and direct medical costs were estimated for both strategies.

Main Results:

• SES use significantly reduced the probability of HCV infection (1.4% vs. 40% for CS).
• Adoption of SES averted 177 HCV cases and 157 HCV-related deaths per 10,000 individuals.
• SES implementation resulted in improved quality-adjusted life-years (0.95 QALYs) and cost savings ($-1712).

Conclusions:

• Adoption of SES in Egypt is a highly effective and cost-saving strategy for reducing HCV.
• Findings support WHO Injection Safety Program and Safe Injection Global Network recommendations for smart syringes.
• SES introduction is encouraged as a vital intervention for population-level health gains and cost savings in resource-limited settings.