THU-160-Outcomes of the national strategy on hepatitis C treatment with direct acting antivirals in a real-life setting: Results from a national survey in Slovenia

Introduction: People who inject drugs (PWID) should be treated in order to eliminate hepatitis C virus (HCV) in the world. Aims: The aim of this study was to compare direct acting antivirals (DAAs) treatment of HCV for PWID and non-PWID in real life setting. Materials and methods: We performed a prospective, non-randomized, observational multi-center cohort study in 37 centers. All patients treated with DAAs therapy between April 1, 2017 to February 28, 2019 were included. In total, 2,713 patients were included in the study among which 250 were PWID and 2,463 were non-PWID. Besides patient characteristics, treatment response, follow-up and side effects of treatment were also analyzed. Results: Genotype 1a and 3 were more prevalent in PWID infected patients (20.4% vs 9.9% and 46.8% vs 5.3%). The number of naïve patients was higher in PWID (90.7% vs 60.0%), while the number of patients with cirrhosis was higher in non-PWID (14.1% vs 3.7%). The loss of follow up was higher in PWID (29.6% vs 13.6%). There was no difference in the sustained virologic response at 12 weeks after treatment (98.3% vs 98.4%), but the end of treatment response was lower in PWID (96.2% vs 99.0%). In addition, the rate of treatment completion was lower in PWID (74% vs 94.4%). Conclusion: DAAs were safe and effective in PWID. Primary measures should be taken to prevent the loss of follow-up and poor adherence in PWID patients in order to achieve World Health Organization’s objective of eliminating viral hepatitis.

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PP171 Cost And Effectiveness Of Chronic Hepatitis C Treatment In Brazil

International Journal of Technology Assessment in Health Care ◽

10.1017/s0266462319002678 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 35 (S1) ◽

pp. 69-69

Author(s):

Karin Hepp Schwambach ◽

Mareni Rocha Farias ◽

Giacomo Balbinotto Neto ◽

Carine Raquel Blatt

Keyword(s):

Hepatitis C ◽

Sustained Viral Response ◽

Real Life ◽

High Price ◽

Genotype 1 ◽

Direct Acting Antivirals ◽

Hepatitis C Treatment ◽

Total Cost ◽

Direct Acting ◽

The Cost

IntroductionWith the discovery of new direct-acting antivirals, the cure for hepatitis C appears to be a reality, but its high price and the availability of new antivirals are a major obstacle. In Brazil, treatments for hepatitis C have been available in the public health system since the 1990s, and in 2015 were made available the antivirals sofosbuvir, daclatasvir and simeprevir. The calculation of the budgetary impact of this merger estimated expenditures between 467 and 666 million Reais (USD 121 and 172 million) per year. This study aims to present and discuss the cost and effectiveness of hepatitis C treatment with direct-acting antivirals with or without alfapeginterferon and ribavirin, based on real-life data, and compare it with the world scenario.MethodsWe analyzed the treatment data and outcomes of 253 patients from a retrospective cohort performed in a Specialized Care Service, in the city of Porto Alegre. In relation to costs, the direct costs of antiviral drugs, per unit (tablet), were considered according to financial receipts from public purchases. The total cost of the medications used by each individual in each treatment and the cost per cure obtained, expressed in Sustained Viral Response (SVR), were calculated.ResultsMost patients (66.8 percent) had genotype 1 of the hepatitis virus and 92.9 percent achieved SVR. The mean total cost of treatment of patients with genotype 1 was USD 5,862.31 and USD 6,310.34 per cure; while in patients with genotype 3 the cost was USD 5,144.27 and USD 5,974.76 per cure. The cost with the most commonly used treatment regimen, sofosbuvir, daclatasvir and ribavirin was USD 5,961.25 and USD 6,536.46 per cure. These values were 30 percent lower than the values estimated at the time of drug incorporation.ConclusionsCost and effectiveness data contextualize a real-life scenario in Brazil. The evaluated treatments presented good effectiveness, but high costs.

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