First line nucleos(t)ide analog monotherapy is more cost-effective than combination strategies in hepatitis B e antigen-positive chronic hepatitis B patients in China / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

Background@#Nucleos(t)ide analog (NA) in combination with peginterferon (PegIFN) therapy in patients with hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg)-positive chronic hepatitis B (CHB) shows better effectiveness than NA monotherapy in hepatitis B surface antigen loss, termed "functional cure," based on previous published studies. However, it is not known which strategy is more cost-effective on functional cure. The aim of this study was to analyze the cost-effectiveness of first-line monotherapies and combination strategies in HBeAg-positive CHB patients in China from a social perspective.@*Methods@#A Markov model was developed with functional cure and other five states including CHB, compensated cirrhosis, decompensated cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma, and death to assess the cost-effectiveness of seven representative treatment strategies. Entecavir (ETV) monotherapy and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) monotherapy served as comparators, respectively.@*Results@#In the two base-case analysis, compared with ETV, ETV generated the highest costs with $44,210 and the highest quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) with 16.78 years. Compared with TDF, treating CHB patients with ETV and NA - PegIFN strategies increased costs by $7639 and $6129, respectively, gaining incremental QALYs by 2.20 years and 1.66 years, respectively. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratios were $3472/QALY and $3692/QALY, respectively, which were less than one-time gross domestic product per capita. One-way sensitivity analysis and probabilistic sensitivity analyses showed the robustness of the results.@*Conclusion@#Among seven treatment strategies, first-line NA monotherapy may be more cost-effective than combination strategies in HBeAg-positive CHB patients in China.

First line nucleos(t)ide analog monotherapy is more cost-effective than combination strategies in hepatitis B e antigen-positive chronic hepatitis B patients in China / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

BACKGROUND@#Nucleos(t)ide analog (NA) in combination with peginterferon (PegIFN) therapy in patients with hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg)-positive chronic hepatitis B (CHB) shows better effectiveness than NA monotherapy in hepatitis B surface antigen loss, termed "functional cure," based on previous published studies. However, it is not known which strategy is more cost-effective on functional cure. The aim of this study was to analyze the cost-effectiveness of first-line monotherapies and combination strategies in HBeAg-positive CHB patients in China from a social perspective.@*METHODS@#A Markov model was developed with functional cure and other five states including CHB, compensated cirrhosis, decompensated cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma, and death to assess the cost-effectiveness of seven representative treatment strategies. Entecavir (ETV) monotherapy and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) monotherapy served as comparators, respectively.@*RESULTS@#In the two base-case analysis, compared with ETV, ETV generated the highest costs with $44,210 and the highest quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) with 16.78 years. Compared with TDF, treating CHB patients with ETV and NA - PegIFN strategies increased costs by $7639 and $6129, respectively, gaining incremental QALYs by 2.20 years and 1.66 years, respectively. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratios were $3472/QALY and $3692/QALY, respectively, which were less than one-time gross domestic product per capita. One-way sensitivity analysis and probabilistic sensitivity analyses showed the robustness of the results.@*CONCLUSION@#Among seven treatment strategies, first-line NA monotherapy may be more cost-effective than combination strategies in HBeAg-positive CHB patients in China.

Fundamental contradiction and coordination mechanism of health economic evaluation between social perspective and hospital perspective / 中国卫生政策研究

This study analyzed the inconsistences between health economic evaluation of social perspective and hospital perspective,and based on the relevant theories of health economic evaluation demonstrated that for health technology,especially innovative ones, there was contradiction between study results of the social perspective and hospitals,leading to pricing decision-making problems. This article believes that involving multiple stakeholders in hospital decision making process and non-bundled pricing method for innovative health technology could be optional mechanisms for resolving this contradiction.

Evaluation of risks perceived by people using HIV voluntary counseling and testing services / 中国艾滋病性病

Objective To investigate and analyze structure of risk perceived by people using HIV voluntary counseling and testing services and related factors.Method Two hundred and sixty eight VCT users were selected from 2 CDCs and 2 hospitals in Beijing and their perceived risks in the process of VCT were assessed by using self-administered question- naires.Factor analysis was performed to understand the relationship between different perceived risks,and risks perceived by different users were evaluated.Results Six factors were obtained from the factor analysis which included:fear of priva- cy disclosure,embarrassment,concern over the reliability of HIV tests,cost & time consumption,the tragic outcomes of HIV positive tests,and potential medical expenditures in the future.And the risks perceived by low and high income users were much higher than those perceived by middle income users.Conclusion There are clear structure of risks perceived by people using HIV voluntary counseling and testing,and people with different incomes have different levels of perceived risks.