HTA and HIV: The Case of Dual NRTI Backbones in the Italian Setting

Abstract

The aim of this study is to analyze the potential advantages of emtricitabine/tenofovir alafenamide (FTC/TAF) introduction, creating evidence-based information to orient strategies to reduce costs, thus preserving effectiveness and appropriateness. An Health Technology Assessment (HTA) was implemented in the years 2017–2018 comparing the dual backbones available in the Italian market: FTC/TAF, FTC/TDF (tenofovir disoproxil fumarate/emtricitabine) and ABC/3TC (abacavir/lamivudine). From an efficacy point of view, FTC/TAF ensured a higher percentage of virologic control and a better safety impact than FTC/TDF (improving the renal and bone safety profile, as well as the lipid picture). From an economic point of view, the results revealed a 4% cost saving for the Italian National Healthcare Service NHS with FTC/TAF introduction compared with the baseline scenario. Qualitative perceptions’ results showed that FTC/TAF would decrease the burden of adverse events management, increasing the accessibility of patients to healthcare providers (FTC/TAF: 0.95, FTC/TDF: 0.10, ABC/3TC: 0.28; p-value: 0.016) and social costs (FTC/TDF: −0.23, FTC/TAF: 1.04, ABC/3TC: 0.23; p-value < 0.001), improving patient quality of life (FTC/TDF: 0.31, FTC/TAF: 1.85, ABC/3TC: 0.38; p-value < 0.001). Healthcare services may consider the evidence provided by the present study as an opportunity to include HIV patients in a more adequate antiretroviral treatment arm, guaranteeing a personalized clinical pathway, thus becoming more efficient and effective over time.

Healthcare Resource Consumption and Related Costs in Patients on Antiretroviral Therapies: Findings from Real-World Data in Italy

“…To the best of our knowledge, there are limited data on the actual economic burden for patients with TAF-based regimens in Italy, while the literature reports an estimation of cost-effectiveness or budget-impact analysis on such therapies [33,34]. The latter estimated a direct healthcare cost for year 2018 spanning from EUR 8928 to EUR 11,200, which, although lower than our results, is, however, based in real-life settings [33].…”