Is Dietetic Treatment for Undernutrition in Older Individuals in Primary Care Cost-Effective?

ObjectivesUndernutrition in older age is associated with adverse clinical outcomes and high health care costs. This study aimed to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of a dietetic treatment in primary care compared with usual care in older, undernourished, community-dwelling individuals.DesignA parallel randomized controlled trial.SettingPrimary care.ParticipantsA total of 146 undernourished, independently living older (≥65 years) individuals.InterventionDietetic treatment.MeasurementsMain outcomes were change in kilogram body weight compared with baseline and quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) after 6 months. Costs were measured from a societal perspective. The main analysis was performed according to the intention-to-treat principle. Multiple imputation was used to impute missing data and bootstrapping was used to estimate uncertainty surrounding cost differences and incremental cost-effectiveness ratios. Cost-effectiveness planes and cost-effectiveness acceptability curves were estimated.ResultsThe participants were randomized to receive either dietetic treatment (n = 72) or usual care (n = 74). After 6 months, no statistically significant differences were found between the dietetic treatment and usual care group in body weight change (mean difference 0.78 kg, 95% CI −0.26–1.82), QALYs (mean difference 0.001, 95% CI −0.04–0.04) and total costs (mean difference €1645, 95% CI −525–3547). The incremental cost-utility ratio (ICUR) for QALYs was not interpretable. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) for body weight gain was 2111. The probability that dietetic treatment is cost-effective compared with usual care was 0.78 for a ceiling ratio of €5000 for body weight and 0.06 for a ceiling ratio of €20.000 for QALY.ConclusionIn this study, dietetic treatment in older, undernourished, community-dwelling individuals was not cost-effective compared with usual care.     

抗VEGF类药物与传统激光疗法用于治疗糖尿病性黄斑水肿的药物经济学评价

目的从中国全社会角度出发,评价抗血管内皮生长因子(vascular endothelial growth factor,VEGF)类药物(雷珠单抗、阿柏西普)与激光光凝用于治疗糖尿病性黄斑水肿的成本-效果。方法构建Markov模型,通过随机对照试验、已发表文献和医院调研获得3种干预措施治疗糖尿病性黄斑水肿的临床疗效、健康效用及成本数据,对各干预措施下患者终身的疾病转归、质量调整生命年(QALYs)及成本进行长期模拟。计算增量成本-效果比(ICER),并进行单因素和概率敏感性分析。结果与激光光凝相比,雷珠单抗的ICER值为61174元·QALY^-1,阿柏西普的ICER值为138232元·QALY^-1,均小于我国3倍人均GDP(59660元,2017年),抗VEGF类药物具有经济性。比较雷珠单抗与阿柏西普,雷珠单抗QALY更高成本更低,占绝对优势。单因素和概率敏感性分析证明了结果的稳健性。结论雷珠单抗、阿柏西普与激光光凝相比,在治疗糖尿病性黄斑水肿方面均具有成本-效果;其中雷珠单抗效果更好成本更低,在治疗糖尿病性黄斑水肿方面占绝对优势。     

Cost-Effectiveness of a Core Antigen–Based Rapid Diagnostic Test for Hepatitis C

ObjectivesHepatitis C virus (HCV) affects 58 million worldwide and > 79% of people remain undiagnosed. Rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) for HCV can help improve diagnosis and treatment rates. Nevertheless, the high price and infrastructure needed to use current molecular HCV RDT options present a barrier to widespread use—particularly in low- and middle-income countries. We evaluated the performance and cost-effectiveness of a theoretical core antigen (cAg) RDT for HCV viremia confirmation, which requires fewer resources.MethodsWe adapted a previously validated microsimulation model to simulate HCV disease progression and outcomes under different HCV testing algorithms in Georgia and Malaysia. We compared standard of care testing with laboratory-based ribonucleic acid HCV to a cAg-based RDT for HCV confirmation. We simulated a cohort of 10 000 adults in each country, with an HCV-ribonucleic acid prevalence of 5.40% in Georgia and 1.54% in Malaysia. We projected the cumulative healthcare costs, quality-adjusted life-years, and diagnosis coverage rates over a lifetime horizon.ResultsCompared with the standard of care testing, the cAg-based RDT would increase quality-adjusted life-years by 270 in Georgia and 259 in Malaysia per 10 000 people. The high diagnosis rate and treatment rate of the cAg-based RDT result in substantial cost savings because of averted HCV sequelae management costs. Cost savings are $281 000 for Georgia and $781 000 for Malaysia.ConclusionsWe found that a cAg-based RDT for HCV could improve the diagnosis rate and result in cost savings. Such a test could have a substantial impact on the feasibility and cost of HCV elimination.     

Economic Evaluation of Prenatal and Postpartum Care in Women With Gestational Diabetes and Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy: A Systematic Review

ObjectivesThis study aimed to summarize evidence on the economic outcomes of prenatal and postpartum interventions for the management of gestational diabetes mellitus and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP), assess the quality of each study, and identify research gaps that may inform future research.MethodsElectronic databases including PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, the Cochrane Library, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were searched from January 1, 2000, to October 1, 2021. Selected studies were included in narrative synthesis and extracted data were presented in narrative and tabular forms. The quality of each study was assessed using the Consolidated Health Economic Evaluation Reporting Standards and Consensus on Health Economic Criteria list.ResultsAmong the 22 studies identified through the systematic review, 19 reported favorable cost-effectiveness of the intervention. For prenatal management of HDP, home blood pressure monitoring was found to be cost-effective compared with in-person visits in improving maternal and neonatal outcomes. For postpartum care, regular screening for hypertension or metabolic syndrome followed by subsequent treatment was found to be cost-effective compared with no screening in women with a history of gestational diabetes mellitus or HDP.ConclusionsExisting economic evaluation studies showed that prenatal home blood pressure monitoring and postpartum screening for hypertension or metabolic syndrome were cost-effective. Nevertheless, limitations in the approach of the current economic evaluations may dampen the quality of the evidence and warrant further investigation.     

Cost-effectiveness of a potential vaccine candidate for Haemophilus influenzae serotype ‘a’

The preceding decade has witnessed the emergence of severe community-acquired acute infections caused by Haemophilus influenzae serotype a (Hia), with alarming incidence rates in North America, particularly among indigenous populations. The remarkable success of Hib conjugate vaccine over the past 20 years signify the development of an Hia vaccine candidate as a prevention measure to reduce the incidence of invasive Hia disease. However, quantifications of the long-term epidemiologic and economic impacts of vaccination are needed to inform decision on investment in Hia vaccine development and immunization programs. We sought to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of an Hia vaccine with a similar routine infant immunization schedules currently in practice for Hib in Canada. We developed and parameterized an agent-based simulation model using age-specific incidence rates reported for Nunavut, a Canadian territory with predominantly aboriginal populations. Our results, based on statistical analyses of the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio, show that an Hia conjugate vaccine is highly cost-effective. Sustaining an immunization program with vaccine coverages of 77% for primary series and 93% for booster dose over a 10-year period reduces the incidence of invasive disease by 63.8% on average from 9.97 to 3.61 cases, per 100,000 population. The overall costs of disease management in year 10 are reduced by 53.4% from CDN $1.863 million (95% CI: $1.229–$2.519 M) to CDN $0.868 million (95% CI: $0.627–$1.120 M). The findings suggest an important role for a conjugate vaccine in managing Hia disease as a growing public health threat.     

The Cost-Effectiveness of Triple Nucleoside Analogue Therapy Antiretroviral Regimens in the Treatment of HIV in the United Kingdom

Abstract

Purpose: Treatment of HIV infection has improved markedly in recent years due to the use of combination antiretroviral therapies. However, the cost of these treatments remains a concern for those who fund health services. This article reports the results of an economic evaluation to determine the incremental cost-effectiveness of triple combination nucleoside analogue (NA) therapy compared with dual NA therapy. Method: A Markov model was developed to assess the incremental cost effectiveness of triple therapy treatment versus dual therapy treatment. Clinical data was derived from published clinical trials and large observational cohorts whilst cost data was derived from a prospective database that monitors health care resource use in the UK HIV population. Results: The model predicted that triple NA combination treatment extended life expectancy by an additional 1.2 years compared with dual therapy NA treatment with an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of £8,419 per life-year saved. The incremental cost per quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) was estimated to be between £10,072–£16,168 per QALY gained depending on the assumptions. Conclusion: The results show triple nucleoside analogue therapy to be a cost effective means of delaying HIV progression and extending life expectancy. However, further research into this issue is warranted.