Contributor : Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit (MORU)

This study aim to perform cost-effectiveness analysis of potential screening and treatment allocation strategies for chronic hepatitis C infections focusing on novel antiviral drugs in Thailand as well as to determine the feasibility of the new treatment policy by assessing human resource on health impact and budget impact using mathermatical modelling approach. The findings will be useful for guiding the drug price negotiation and treatment allocation strategy to yield maximum benefit at individual and population levels.

Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a major cause of cirrhosis, end-stage liver disease and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). It has been calculated that 130-170 million people are infected with HCV, with a global prevalence of infection estimated at 2-3%. About 80% of people infected with HCV will develop chronic hepatitis, 60-70% will develop hepatic steatosis of fibrosis, 5-20% will develop cirrhosisi and in 1-5% disease will progress to life-threatening complications and HCC, within 20 years from acute infection. Despite the great successes achieved in the fields of virology and diagnostics, several difficulties affect improvements in hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection control and eradication in the new era. New HCV infections still occur, especially in some of the poorest regions of the world, where HCV is endemic and long-term sequelae have a growing economic and health burden.