Cost-Effectiveness of Ticagrelor Compared with Clopidogrel in Patients with Acute Coronary Syndrome from Vietnamese Healthcare Payers' Perspective.

INTRODUCTION: The PLATelet inhibition and patient Outcomes (PLATO) trial (NCT00391872) demonstrated that ticagrelor compared to clopidogrel significantly reduced the rate of death from cardiovascular causes, myocardial infarction or stroke in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). The aim of this study is to analyze the long-term cost-effectiveness of ticagrelor compared to clopidogrel in ACS patients from a Vietnamese healthcare payers' perspective. METHODS: A two-part cost-effectiveness model was developed to estimate long-term costs and quality-adjusted life-years (QALY). Cardiovascular event rates, hospital bed days, interventions, investigations, study drug utilization and EuroQol 5 Dimension (EQ-5D) data were derived from the PLATO trial. Unit costs of medical services were derived from the Vietnamese governmental price list, and drug costs were based on the weighted average price from the Vietnamese social security report (in VND; 10.000 VND = 0.405 USD). An annual discount rate of 3% was used. Probabilistic and deterministic sensitivity analyses were conducted to evaluate uncertainty of the results. RESULTS: Ticagrelor was associated with an incremental cost of VND 5.34 million (USD 216.49) and a QALY gain of 0.11. This resulted in a cost per QALY gained of VND 49.58 million (USD 2009.96) from the Vietnamese healthcare payers' perspective. Probabilistic sensitivity analysis indicates that ticagrelor has 59% probability of being cost-effective compared with clopidogrel when using a willingness-to-pay threshold of one gross domestic products (GDP) per capita. Deterministic sensitivity analysis using clinical outcomes from the Asian sub-population of PLATO resulted in a cost per QALY of VND 42.25 million (USD 1712.80). CONCLUSION: Ticagrelor can be considered a cost-effective treatment for ACS compared with clopidogrel from a Vietnamese healthcare payers' perspective.

Diagnostic accuracy of microscopic Observation Drug Susceptibility (MODS) assay for pediatric tuberculosis in Hanoi, Vietnam.

INTRODUCTION: Microscopic [corrected] Observation Drug Susceptibility (MODS) has been shown to be an effective and rapid technique for early diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB). Thus far only a limited number of studies evaluating MODS have been performed in children and in extra-pulmonary tuberculosis. This study aims to assess relative accuracy and time to positive culture of MODS for TB diagnosis in children admitted to a general pediatric hospital in Vietnam. METHODS/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Specimens from children with suspected TB were tested by smear, MODS and Lowenstein-Jensen agar (LJ). 1129 samples from 705 children were analyzed, including sputum (n=59), gastric aspirate (n=775), CSF (n=148), pleural fluid (n=33), BAL (n=41), tracheal fluid (n=45), other (n=28). 113 TB cases were defined based on the "clinical diagnosis" (confirmed and probable groups) as the reference standard, in which 26% (n=30) were diagnosed as extra-pulmonary TB. Analysis by patient shows that the overall sensitivity and specificity of smear, LJ and MODS against "clinical diagnosis" was 8.8% and 100%, 38.9% and 100%, 46% and 99.5% respectively with MODS significantly more sensitive than LJ culture (P=0.02). When analyzed by sample type, the sensitivity of MODS was significantly higher than LJ for gastric aspirates (P=0.004). The time to detection was also significantly shorter for MODS than LJ (7 days versus 32 days, P<0.001). CONCLUSION: MODS [corrected] is a sensitive and rapid culture technique for detecting TB in children. As MODS culture can be performed at a BSL2 facility and is inexpensive, it can therefore be recommended as a routine test for children with symptoms suggestive of TB in resource-limited settings.