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Cost-effectiveness analysis of tenofovir disoproxil fumarate for treatment of chronic hepatitis B in China

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Abstract

Background

Tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) is newly available for treatment of chronic hepatitis B patients in China. To date, no study has been conducted to examine the cost-effectiveness of this treatment. The aim of this study was to estimate the cost-effectiveness of TDF versus four oral nucleos(t)ide analogs [lamivudine (LAM), adefovir (ADV), telbivudine (LdT), and entecavir (ETV)] and from a pharmacoeconomic perspective to assess current drug pricing for TDF.

Methods

Based on Chinese healthcare perspectives, a Markov model was applied to simulate the lifetime (40-year time span) costs and quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) for five different monotherapy strategies. Two kinds of rescue combination strategies (base-case: LAM + ADV then ETV + ADV; alternative: directly using ETV + ADV) were separately considered for treatment of patients refractory to monotherapy. Model parameters (including disease transition, cost, and utility) were obtained from previous Chinese population studies. Both branded and generic drugs were separately analyzed. Study model uncertainties were assessed by one-way and probabilistic sensitivity analyses. Two-way sensitivity analysis was used to explore uncertainties between efficacy and price of TDF.

Results

In the base-case analysis, the lowest lifetime cost and the best cost-effectiveness ratio were obtained by ETV, which was considered the reference treatment. LAM, ADV, and LdT treatments had significantly greater costs and lower efficacies. Compared to ETV, TDF was more effective but also more expensive. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratios of TDF versus ETV were much higher than the willing-to-pay threshold of $20,466 US dollars (USD) per QALY gained (3 × gross domestic product per capita of China, 2014). TDF would be the most cost-effective strategy if the annual cost did not exceed $2260 USD and $1600 USD for branded and generic drugs, respectively.

Conclusions

For Chinese chronic hepatitis B patients, ETV is still the most cost-effective strategy over TDF and other nucleos(t)ide analogs, with a threshold of $20,466 USD/QALY gained.

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    Authors and Affiliations

    1. Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, 510310, Guangdong, China

      Weixia Ke, Chi Zhang, Li Liu, Yanhui Gao, Zhenjiang Yao, Xiaohua Ye, Shudong Zhou & Yi Yang

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    1. Weixia Ke
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    2. Chi Zhang
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    3. Li Liu
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    Correspondence to Yi Yang.

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    Funding

    This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundations of China (Grant No. 81302493). And the National Natural Science Foundations of China (Grant No. 71573059)

    Conflict of interest

    Ke Weixia, Zhang Chi, Liu Li, Gao Yanhui, Yao Zhenjiang, Ye Xiaohua, Zhou Shudong, Yang Yi declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

    Ethical approval

    This article does not contain any studies with human participants or animals performed by any of the authors.

    Informed consent

    Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

    Additional information

    W. Ke and C. Zhang contributed equally to this work.

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    Ke, W., Zhang, C., Liu, L. et al. Cost-effectiveness analysis of tenofovir disoproxil fumarate for treatment of chronic hepatitis B in China. Hepatol Int 10, 924–936 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12072-016-9741-6

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    • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12072-016-9741-6

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