Healthcare value of implementing hepatitis C screening in the adult general population in Spain

PLoS One. 2018 Nov 28;13(11):e0208036. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0208036. eCollection 2018.

Abstract

Background: Elimination of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection requires high diagnostic rates and universal access to treatment. Around 40% of infected individuals are unaware of their infection, which indicates that effective screening strategies are needed. We analyzed the efficiency (incremental cost-utility ratio, ICUR) of 3 HCV screening strategies: a) general population of adults, b) high-risk groups, and c) population with the highest anti-HCV prevalence plus high-risk groups.

Methods: An analytical decision model, projecting progression of the disease over a lifetime, was used to establish the candidate population for HCV screening. HCV data were obtained from the literature: anti-HCV prevalence (0.56%-1.54%), viremic patients (31.5%), and percentage of undiagnosed persons among those with viremia (35%). It was assumed that most patients would be treated and have HCV therapy response (98% SVR); transition probabilities, utilities, and disease management annual costs were obtained from the literature. Efficiency over the life of patients under the National Health System perspective was measured as quality-adjusted life years (QALY) and total cost (screening, diagnosis, pharmacological and disease management). A discount rate of 3% was applied to costs and outcomes.

Results: Screening of the adult population would identify a larger number of additional chronic hepatitis C cases (N = 52,694) than screening the highest anti-HCV prevalence population plus high-risk groups (N = 42,027) or screening high-risk groups (N = 26,128). ICUR for the general population vs. high-risk groups was €8914/QALY gained per patient (€18,157 incremental cost and 2.037 QALY). ICUR for the general population vs. population with highest anti-HCV prevalence plus high-risk groups was €7,448/QALY gained per patient (€7,733 incremental cost and 1.038 QALY). These ICUR values are below the accepted efficiency threshold (€22,000-€30,000).

Conclusion: HCV screening and treatment of the general adult population is cost-effective compared to screening of high-risk groups or the population with the highest anti-HCV prevalence plus high-risk groups.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Cost-Benefit Analysis
  • Decision Support Techniques
  • Decision Trees
  • Health Care Costs
  • Hepacivirus
  • Hepatitis C / diagnosis*
  • Hepatitis C / economics*
  • Hepatitis C / epidemiology
  • Hepatitis C / therapy
  • Humans
  • Markov Chains
  • Mass Screening / economics*
  • Middle Aged
  • Quality-Adjusted Life Years
  • Risk
  • Spain
  • Young Adult

Grants and funding

MB, RDH, MAC, ES and RE has received unconditional funding from Gilead Sciences. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. Raquel Domínguez-Hernández, Eliazar Sabater and Miguel Ángel Casado are employees of Pharmacoeconomics & Outcomes Research Iberia. Pharmacoeconomics & Outcomes Research Iberia provided support in the form of salaries for authors RDH, MAC and ES but did not have any additional role in the study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. The specific roles of these authors are articulated in the ‘author contributions’ section.