Pharmacoeconomics applied to chronic hepatitis C

Abstract

Life expectancy has increased over the last century as it had never been before. This is the result of a combination of many favorable variables such as level of education, improved socio-economic environment and development of medicine. However, new improvements demand heavy investment. Thus, the incorporation of medical technology became a health and economic issue. The pharmacoeconomic knowledge field is being developed to help in the analysis of medical costs and patient needs. The applies to hepatitic C, a common and chronic worldwide disease. In this article, the authors describe the rational behind this type of health economic analysis and review a hepatitis C model. Overall, in a non-Brazilian scenario, it was demonstrated that peginterferon alfa-2a (40KD) is cost effective in the treatment of HCV disease.

Meta‐analysis: pegylated interferon α‐2a achieves higher early virological responses than α‐2b in chronic hepatitis C

“…Not only possible resistances, but difficulties with treatment compliance in HCV patients, significant side effects and pharmacoeconomic issues of antiviral therapy have led some researchers to explore possible strategies that might shorten treatment periods, using earlier response markers. A study by Cammà et al .…”

“…Both boceprevir and telaprevir have recent FDA-approved treatment regimens in combination with peginterferon and RBV for genotype 1 HCV 28 that include stopping rules based on early response outcomes: HCV RNA 4 weeks and 12 weeks from initiation of treatment. Not only possible resistances, but difficulties with treatment compliance in HCV patients, 29 significant side effects and pharmacoeconomic issues of antiviral therapy 30,31 have led some researchers to explore possible strategies that might shorten treatment periods, using earlier response markers. A study by Camm a et al 32 assessed the cost-effectiveness of five different triple therapy strategies with first generation protease inhibitors compared to dual therapy in the treatment of naïve patients with chronic hepatitis C genotype 1.…”

Cost-effectiveness analysis of treatment with peginterferon-alfa-2a versus peginterferon-alfa-2b for patients with chronic hepatitis C under the public payer perspective in Brazil

“…The model was similar to others described in literature [22-24]. Patients start at the chronic hepatitis C stage, undergo a 24-weeks treatment with peginterferon-alfa-2a plus ribavirin or peginterferon-alfa-2b plus ribavirin if genotypes 2/3 and 48-weeks treatment with the same drugs if genotype 1.…”