NIH Public Access Author Manuscript AIDS. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2015 January 28.
NIH-PA Author Manuscript
Published in final edited form as: AIDS. 2014 January 28; 28(3): 365–376. doi:10.1097/QAD.0000000000000093.
The cost-effectiveness of improved HCV therapies in HIV/HCV co-infected individuals Linas Benjamin P.1,2, Barter Devra M.1, Leff Jared A.3, DiLorenzo Madeline4,5, Schackman Bruce R.3, Horsburgh C. Robert1,2, Assoumou Sabrina A.1, Salomon Joshua A.6, Weinstein Milton C.7, Kim Arthur Y.5, and Freedberg Kenneth A.2,4,5,7 1Department
of Medicine, Section of Infectious Diseases, Boston Medical Center, Boston, MA,
USA 2Department
of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
3Department
of Public Health, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, USA
NIH-PA Author Manuscript
4Division
of General Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
5Infectious
Diseases at the Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
6Department
of Global Health and Population, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
7Department
of Health Policy and Management, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA,
USA
Abstract Objectives—To evaluate the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of strategies to treat hepatitis C virus (HCV) in HIV/HCV co-infected patients in the U.S. Subjects—Simulated cohort of HIV/HCV genotype 1 co-infected, non-cirrhotic, HCV treatment-naïve individuals enrolled in U.S. HIV guideline-concordant care.
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Design/Interventions—Monte Carlo simulation comparing 5 strategies: no treatment; “dual therapy" with pegylated-interferon (PEG) and ribavirin (RBV); starting all patients (“PEG/RBV trial”) or some patients (“IL28B triage”) on PEG/RBV and advancing those with treatment failure to PEG/RBV and telaprevir (TVR), and “triple therapy” PEG/RBV/TVR for all patients. Sensitivity analyses varied efficacies and costs and included a scenario with interferon (IFN)-free therapy. Main Measures—SVR, life expectancy (LE), discounted quality-adjusted life expectancy (QALE) and lifetime medical cost, and incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) in $/QALY gained. Results—“PEG/RBV trial,” “IL28B triage,” and “triple therapy” each provided 72% sustained virologic response (SVR) and extended QALE compared to “dual therapy” by 1.12, 1.14, and 1.15 QALY respectively. The ICER of “PEG/RBV trial” compared to “dual therapy” was $37,500/
Address correspondence to: Benjamin P. Linas, MD, MPH Boston Medical Center- HIV Epidemiology and Outcomes Research Unit, 850 Harrison Ave, Dowling- 3N Room 3205, Boston, MA 02118, p: 617-414-5238, f: 617-414- 7062, [email protected].
Benjamin P. et al.
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QALY. “IL28B triage” and “triple therapy” provided little benefit compared to “PEG/RBV trial” and had ICERs exceeding $300,000/QALY. In sensitivity analyses, IFN-free treatment attaining 90% SVR had an ICER 500/ml (Table 1). We projected outcomes including the percent attaining sustained virologic response (SVR), life expectancy (LE), discounted quality-adjusted life expectancy (QALE), discounted lifetime medical costs, and the incremental cost effectiveness ratio (ICER) of each strategy compared to its next costliest alternative. We conducted one-way and multi-way sensitivity analyses on these results.
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We also considered scenarios using an oral, IFN-free regimen that was more effective and less toxic than PEG/RBV/TVR. We considered a range of IFN-free regimen efficacies and costs, and we identified cost/efficacy combinations leading to IFN-free therapy having an ICER 1,000 copies/ml at either time point stop therapy. We did not specifically model TVR dose increases required when using efavirenz, but effectively included such dose changes in drug cost sensitivity analyses. The approach to modeling adherence, toxicity, and therapy disutility was the same as for dual therapy, but we included rash as potential treatment toxicity.
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5. “Interferon-free regimen”: Patients initiate a 12-week course of an HCV protease inhibitor, a polymerase inhibitor, and RBV [6, 7, 29]. The regimen has lower toxicity and higher adherence, QoL while on therapy, and SVR rate than IFN-containing regimens. Individuals face a risk of treatment ending toxicity and non-adherence, but we assumed there are no early stopping criteria for IFN-free therapy. Costs—We assessed costs in the model from the health system perspective. In each simulation month, individuals accrue “background costs” associated with non-HIV/HCVrelated healthcare. In addition to these costs, there are HCV- and HIV-specific costs. HCVassociated costs include those of HCV medications, physician visits, laboratory tests for monitoring and safety, emergency department visits, and hospitalizations for liver-related events (Table 1). HIV-associated costs include costs of ART, laboratory monitoring, and hospital admissions associated with AIDS-related events [30–38].
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To reflect increased resource utilization among those with HIV/HCV co-infection compared to HIV mono-infection, all costs except those of HIV and HCV medications and HIVrelated testing are 70% greater in co-infected individuals than in HIV mono-infected [19, 39]. QoL—QoL estimates include independent effects related to HIV- and HCV-infection integrated in the model using a multiplicative assumption [20, 22, 40–43]. HIV-related QoL is a function of current CD4 count and acute AIDS-related events. HCV-related QoL is a function of fibrosis stage, HCV treatment status, and treatment-related toxicity (Table 1). Base case parameters The cohort was 66% male [44–47], mean age 45 years (S.D. 6 years) [44–48], mean CD4 count 520/µl (S.D. 100/µl) [49–51], and 32% CC genotype prevalent [14] (Table 1). The median time to cirrhosis from HCV infection (mean age of infection 26 years [52]) was 25 AIDS. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2015 January 28.
Benjamin P. et al.
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years [53], and the rate of liver-related deaths with cirrhosis was 2.73 per 100 person-years [25, 26].
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The total SVR probability for PEG/RBV among those with CC genotype was 55% [16, 54– 57] and 20% for CT or TT [16, 54–56]. The total SVR probability with PEG/RBV/TVR was 74% [3] and ranged from 80–100% with an IFN-free regimen [6, 7]. The probability of withdrawal due to toxicity or non-adherence was 11% for triple therapy [3], 23% for dual therapy [57], and 3% for IFN-free therapy [6, 7]. The cost of a complete course of dual and triple therapy, including the cost of managing toxicities, was $43,000 and $87,300 respectively. The cost of a complete course of IFN-free therapy ranged from $87,300$175,000 [31, 33]. Those with mild to moderate fibrosis, cirrhosis, and decompensated cirrhosis had a QoL of 0.89, 0.62, and 0.48 respectively [20, 22, 43]. Analyses
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We calculated the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of each treatment strategy as the additional cost divided by the additional quality-adjusted life years (QALY) gained compared to the next less expensive strategy [58, 59]. Strategies were considered inefficient and excluded from ICER calculations if they resulted in higher costs but fewer QALYs gained or had a higher ICER than a more effective strategy [59, 60]. QALYs and costs were both discounted at 3% annually [59]. We assumed a societal willingness-to-pay of $100,000 per QALY where strategies below the threshold were considered “cost-effective” [61, 62].
Results Base case Without HCV treatment, undiscounted LE was 13.24 years, QALE was 6.76 QALYs, and discounted lifetime medical costs were $198,700 (Table 2). “Dual therapy” yielded 30.8% attaining SVR, increased LE by 0.52 years to 13.76 years, QALE by 0.84 QALY to 7.60 QALY, and lifetime medical costs by $23,200. The ICER for treating patients with dual therapy compared to no treatment was $27,700/QALY gained.
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The “PEG/RBV trial” strategy was the least costly approach to using an HCV proteaseinhibitor. “PEG/RBV trial” increased SVR to 72% and LE and QALE compared to “dual therapy” by 0.70 years and 1.13 QALY, a larger gain than that provided by “dual therapy” compared to “no treatment.” “PEG/RBV trial” increased lifetime medical cost compared to “dual therapy” by $42,300 to $264,200, resulting in an ICER for “PEG/RBV trial” compared to “dual therapy” of $37,500/QALY. The “IL28B triage” and “triple therapy” scenarios both increased SVR by $300,000/QALY (Table 2). Sensitivity analysis “PEG/RBV trial” remained the preferred ($500,000/QALY. When we reduced the cost of PEG/RBV/TVR by 50%, the “triple therapy” strategy was most efficient, with an ICER compared to no treatment of $20,500/QALY. This remained the preferred strategy at a threshold of $100,000/QALY as long as the cost of PEG/RBV/TVR was less than $50,000 (57% of base case cost). When we increased the cost of PEG/RBV/TVR by 50%, the “PEG/RBV trial” strategy was preferred with an ICER of $55,600/QALY compared to “dual therapy.” “PEG/RBV trial” remained the preferred treatment strategy with an ICER 500 at baseline on ART Standardized mortality ratio (SMR)a
[72, 73]
Men
4.69
1.00–6.01
Women
7.80
1.00–14.14
IL28B test characteristics
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Sensitivity
0.99
0.95–1.00
[74–76]
Specificity
0.99
0.96–1.00
[74–76]
25 (23–27)
10–40
[53]
10.8 (9.2–14.3)
5.6–19.3
[25, 77]
2.73
1.38–4.08
[25, 26]
Rate of CD4 decline (cells/µl/month)b
3.03–6.38
1.51–9.56
[78]
Incidence of AIDS events (events/100 PYs)c
0.12–0.55
0.06–0.83
[79–86]
0.80
0.74–0.91
[16, 57]
HCV disease progression Median years to cirrhosis from age of infection (10%–90%)* Median years first liver-event after developing cirrhosis (10%–90%)* Liver-related mortality with cirrhosis (deaths/100 PYs) HIV disease progression
HCV therapy efficacy PEG/RBV therapy CC genotype at rs12979860 Probability of RVR
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Probability of SVR given RVR
0.91
0.77–0.94
[16, 57]
Probability of withdrawal (toxicity or non-adherence)
0.23
0.19–0.29
[57]
Probability of withdrawal due to toxicity
0.10
0.08–0.13
[87]
Total probability of SVR
0.55
0.40–0.69
[16, 54–57]
0.42
0.33–0.52
[16, 57]
Non-CC allele (TT or TC) Probability of RVR Probability of SVR given RVR
0.64
0.57–0.73
[16, 57]
Probability of withdrawal (toxicity or non-adherence)
0.23
0.19–0.29
[57]
Probability of withdrawal due to toxicity
0.10
0.08–0.13
[87]
Total probability of SVR
0.20
0.13–0.30
[16, 54–57]
Probability of having treatment failure (HCV viremia >1,000/ml)
0.18
0.02–0.21
[88]
Probability of withdrawal (toxicity or non-adherence)
0.18
0.06–0.23
[3]
PEG/RBV/TVR
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Base Case Value
Variable
Range Evaluated in Sensitivity Analyses
Source(s)
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Probability of withdrawal due to toxicity
0.08
0.03–0.10
[88, 89]
Total probability of SVR
0.74
0.65–0.86
[3]
Probability of withdrawal
0.03
0.02–0.04
[6, 7]
Probability of withdrawal for toxicity
0.006
0.004–0.009
See text
Total probability of SVR
0.90
0.80–0.95
[6, 7]
0
0–0.029
[57, 88, 90]
ART efficacy (proportion HIV RNA < 400 copies/ml at 24 weeks)d
0.15–0.86
0.13–0.99
[91–95]
ART efficacy (proportion HIV RNA < 50 copies/ml at 24 weeks)d
0.15–0.65
0.12–0.75
[91–95]
CD4 rise on suppressive ART (cells/µl/month)d
26–90
13–135
[91–95]
HIV loss to follow-up (rate/100 PYs)e
24.17
12.09–36.26
[96]
$80
$40-$120
[31]
$1,600-$4,800
$800-$7,700
[33, 34, 38]
Without HCV (HIV only)f
$300- $20,600
$150-$30,900
[31, 32, 35–37]
With HCVf
$370-$23,300
$190-$35,000
[19, 31, 39]
TVR
$15,200
$7,600-$23,000
[33]
PEGg
$2,100
$1,100-$3,200
[33]
RBVh
$1,400
$700-$2,100
[33]
Filgrastimi
$1,900
$900-$2,700
[33]
$160
$80-$320
[33]
Total costs of dual therapyl
$43,000
$21,500-$64,500
[31, 33]
Total costs of triple therapyk
$87,300
$43,700-$131,000
[31, 33]
Total costs of IFN-free therapy
$131,000
$98,200-$196,500
See text
IFN-free therapy
Probability of death due to toxicity for all strategies HIV therapy efficacy
Costs Costs of screening tests and ART
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IL28B assay test ART costsd Healthcare costs
HCV therapy costs/month
Clobetasol propionatej
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Cost of treatment ending toxicity for triple and IFN-free therapy
$360
$180-$540
[30, 31, 33, 97, 98]
Cost of treatment ending toxicity for dual therapy
$420
$210-$630
[30, 31, 33, 57, 97]
Provider visit costsm
$120
$60–180
Quality of life HCV-related quality of life No fibrosis to moderate fibrosis
0.89
0.75–0.95
[20, 22, 43]
Cirrhosis
0.62
0.55–0.75
[20, 22, 43]
Decompensated cirrhosis
0.48
0.40–0.60
[20, 22, 43]
On IFN (applied to appropriate HCV-attributable QoL)
0.90
0.84–0.96
[42]
On IFN-free therapy (applied to appropriate HCV-attributable QoL)n
0.95
0.90–0.99
See text
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Variable
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Base Case Value
Range Evaluated in Sensitivity Analyses
Source(s)
0.16
0.09–0.25
[99]
0.87
0.78–0.96
[41]
Major toxicity decrement (monthly)o HIV-related quality of life (CD4 cells/µl) >500 351–500
0.86
0.77–0.95
[41]
251–350
0.86
0.77–0.95
[41]
101–250
0.85
0.76–0.94
[41]
51–100
0.85
0.76–0.94
[41]
0.83
0.74–0.92
[41]
0.69–0.78
0.69–0.78
[40]
≤50 With acute AIDS-related eventp
SD: standard deviation; IL28B: interleukin-28B; ART: anti-retroviral therapy; PYs: person-years; PEG: peginterferon; RBV: ribavirin; TVR: telaprevir; SVR: sustained virologic response; RVR: rapid virologic response; IFN: interferon; OI: opportunistic infection; MSM: men who have sex with men; IDU: injection drug user Note: all costs are in 2011 U.S. dollars. *
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These parameters are entered into the model as distributions rather than point estimates, allowing for first-order Monte Carlo variance. Numbers in parentheses next to the base case value represent either the standard deviation (if normally distributed) or the tenth and ninetieth percentile values (if non-normally distributed) of the distribution. The ranges provided in the sensitivity analysis column provide the range of central measure (mean or median) that we tested in sensitivity analyses. a
The SMR captures elevated non-HIV and non-HCV mortality among those who are HIV/HCV co-infected. It reflects competing risks of death from substance use and other co-morbidities. To determine the SMR for the entire cohort, we first identified risk-group specific SMRs (MSM, IDU, heterosexual risk) by sex, and then took the weighted average of these estimates, using the proportion of each risk-factor among HIV/HCV co-infected patients. b
Depending on HIV RNA.
c
Depending on CD4, OI history and event type.
d
Depending on ART regimen.
e
Beginning in month 18 (we assumed no HIV-related loss to follow-up during HCV treatment).
f Depending on age, sex, duration of HIV infection, and CD4 count. g
13% of patients received a reduced weekly dose of 135 mcg in response to non-treatment ending neutropenia [100].
h
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Assumed to be 1,200 mg/day for a 75 kg person; 36% of patients on triple therapy and 17% of patients on dual therapy receive a reduced dose RBV = 600 mg/day in response to non-treatment ending anemia [100]. i 13% of patients developed non-treatment ending neutropenia (absolute neutrophil count < 750/ml) and received filgrastim 300 mcg/two times weekly [100]. j
28% of patients on triple therapy during the first 3 months of therapy receive 150 g per month for treating mild rash [100].
k
Includes an additional cost of a nursing visit for patients who have adverse events.
l
Depending on treatment month.
m
Treatment visit costs are higher in the first month compared to other months.
n
The multiplier is applied for 3 months instead of 12 months for IFN-free therapy, resulting in 0.5 quality-adjusted life months saved compared to being on PEG/RBV therapy. o
This utility “toll” was subtracted from a patient’s health state utility during the month of a major toxicity event.
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p
Depending on type of OI event.
NIH-PA Author Manuscript NIH-PA Author Manuscript NIH-PA Author Manuscript AIDS. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2015 January 28.
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Strategy
277,700
269,200
264,200
221,900
198,700
Cost ($)
8.750
8.743
8.728
7.600
6.760
QALE
Discounted
8,500
5,000
42,300
23,200
---
Cost ($)
0.007
0.016
1.128
0.839
---
QALY
1,240,000
319,400
37,500
27,700
---
CER ($/QALY)
Incremental
Note: all costs and QALYs are lifetime and discounted at an annual rate of 3%. Costs are in 2011 US dollars and rounded to the nearest $100. All life-years and QALYs are rounded to the nearest thousandth.
QALY: quality-adjusted life year; CER: cost-effectiveness ratio; PEG/RBV: Peginterferon and Ribavirin; IL28B: interleukin-28B
14.462
14.463
72.3
IL28B triage 72.5
14.459
Triple therapy
13.761
30.8 72.1
13.240
0
Dual therapy
Life Expectancy
% Attaining SVR
PEG/RBV trial
No treatment
Undiscounted
Incremental cost effectiveness ratios of HIV/HCV telaprevir-based treatment strategies
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Table 2 Benjamin P. et al. Page 23
AIDS. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2015 January 28.
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Published in final edited form as: AIDS. 2014 January 28; 28(3): 365–376. doi:10.1097/QAD.0000000000000093.
The cost-effectiveness of improved HCV therapies in HIV/HCV co-infected individuals Linas Benjamin P.1,2, Barter Devra M.1, Leff Jared A.3, DiLorenzo Madeline4,5, Schackman Bruce R.3, Horsburgh C. Robert1,2, Assoumou Sabrina A.1, Salomon Joshua A.6, Weinstein Milton C.7, Kim Arthur Y.5, and Freedberg Kenneth A.2,4,5,7 1Department
of Medicine, Section of Infectious Diseases, Boston Medical Center, Boston, MA,
USA 2Department
of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
3Department
of Public Health, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, USA
NIH-PA Author Manuscript
4Division
of General Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
5Infectious
Diseases at the Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
6Department
of Global Health and Population, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
7Department
of Health Policy and Management, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA,
USA
Abstract Objectives—To evaluate the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of strategies to treat hepatitis C virus (HCV) in HIV/HCV co-infected patients in the U.S. Subjects—Simulated cohort of HIV/HCV genotype 1 co-infected, non-cirrhotic, HCV treatment-naïve individuals enrolled in U.S. HIV guideline-concordant care.
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Design/Interventions—Monte Carlo simulation comparing 5 strategies: no treatment; “dual therapy" with pegylated-interferon (PEG) and ribavirin (RBV); starting all patients (“PEG/RBV trial”) or some patients (“IL28B triage”) on PEG/RBV and advancing those with treatment failure to PEG/RBV and telaprevir (TVR), and “triple therapy” PEG/RBV/TVR for all patients. Sensitivity analyses varied efficacies and costs and included a scenario with interferon (IFN)-free therapy. Main Measures—SVR, life expectancy (LE), discounted quality-adjusted life expectancy (QALE) and lifetime medical cost, and incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) in $/QALY gained. Results—“PEG/RBV trial,” “IL28B triage,” and “triple therapy” each provided 72% sustained virologic response (SVR) and extended QALE compared to “dual therapy” by 1.12, 1.14, and 1.15 QALY respectively. The ICER of “PEG/RBV trial” compared to “dual therapy” was $37,500/
Address correspondence to: Benjamin P. Linas, MD, MPH Boston Medical Center- HIV Epidemiology and Outcomes Research Unit, 850 Harrison Ave, Dowling- 3N Room 3205, Boston, MA 02118, p: 617-414-5238, f: 617-414- 7062, [email protected].
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QALY. “IL28B triage” and “triple therapy” provided little benefit compared to “PEG/RBV trial” and had ICERs exceeding $300,000/QALY. In sensitivity analyses, IFN-free treatment attaining 90% SVR had an ICER 500/ml (Table 1). We projected outcomes including the percent attaining sustained virologic response (SVR), life expectancy (LE), discounted quality-adjusted life expectancy (QALE), discounted lifetime medical costs, and the incremental cost effectiveness ratio (ICER) of each strategy compared to its next costliest alternative. We conducted one-way and multi-way sensitivity analyses on these results.
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We also considered scenarios using an oral, IFN-free regimen that was more effective and less toxic than PEG/RBV/TVR. We considered a range of IFN-free regimen efficacies and costs, and we identified cost/efficacy combinations leading to IFN-free therapy having an ICER 1,000 copies/ml at either time point stop therapy. We did not specifically model TVR dose increases required when using efavirenz, but effectively included such dose changes in drug cost sensitivity analyses. The approach to modeling adherence, toxicity, and therapy disutility was the same as for dual therapy, but we included rash as potential treatment toxicity.
NIH-PA Author Manuscript
5. “Interferon-free regimen”: Patients initiate a 12-week course of an HCV protease inhibitor, a polymerase inhibitor, and RBV [6, 7, 29]. The regimen has lower toxicity and higher adherence, QoL while on therapy, and SVR rate than IFN-containing regimens. Individuals face a risk of treatment ending toxicity and non-adherence, but we assumed there are no early stopping criteria for IFN-free therapy. Costs—We assessed costs in the model from the health system perspective. In each simulation month, individuals accrue “background costs” associated with non-HIV/HCVrelated healthcare. In addition to these costs, there are HCV- and HIV-specific costs. HCVassociated costs include those of HCV medications, physician visits, laboratory tests for monitoring and safety, emergency department visits, and hospitalizations for liver-related events (Table 1). HIV-associated costs include costs of ART, laboratory monitoring, and hospital admissions associated with AIDS-related events [30–38].
NIH-PA Author Manuscript
To reflect increased resource utilization among those with HIV/HCV co-infection compared to HIV mono-infection, all costs except those of HIV and HCV medications and HIVrelated testing are 70% greater in co-infected individuals than in HIV mono-infected [19, 39]. QoL—QoL estimates include independent effects related to HIV- and HCV-infection integrated in the model using a multiplicative assumption [20, 22, 40–43]. HIV-related QoL is a function of current CD4 count and acute AIDS-related events. HCV-related QoL is a function of fibrosis stage, HCV treatment status, and treatment-related toxicity (Table 1). Base case parameters The cohort was 66% male [44–47], mean age 45 years (S.D. 6 years) [44–48], mean CD4 count 520/µl (S.D. 100/µl) [49–51], and 32% CC genotype prevalent [14] (Table 1). The median time to cirrhosis from HCV infection (mean age of infection 26 years [52]) was 25 AIDS. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2015 January 28.
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Page 6
years [53], and the rate of liver-related deaths with cirrhosis was 2.73 per 100 person-years [25, 26].
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The total SVR probability for PEG/RBV among those with CC genotype was 55% [16, 54– 57] and 20% for CT or TT [16, 54–56]. The total SVR probability with PEG/RBV/TVR was 74% [3] and ranged from 80–100% with an IFN-free regimen [6, 7]. The probability of withdrawal due to toxicity or non-adherence was 11% for triple therapy [3], 23% for dual therapy [57], and 3% for IFN-free therapy [6, 7]. The cost of a complete course of dual and triple therapy, including the cost of managing toxicities, was $43,000 and $87,300 respectively. The cost of a complete course of IFN-free therapy ranged from $87,300$175,000 [31, 33]. Those with mild to moderate fibrosis, cirrhosis, and decompensated cirrhosis had a QoL of 0.89, 0.62, and 0.48 respectively [20, 22, 43]. Analyses
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We calculated the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of each treatment strategy as the additional cost divided by the additional quality-adjusted life years (QALY) gained compared to the next less expensive strategy [58, 59]. Strategies were considered inefficient and excluded from ICER calculations if they resulted in higher costs but fewer QALYs gained or had a higher ICER than a more effective strategy [59, 60]. QALYs and costs were both discounted at 3% annually [59]. We assumed a societal willingness-to-pay of $100,000 per QALY where strategies below the threshold were considered “cost-effective” [61, 62].
Results Base case Without HCV treatment, undiscounted LE was 13.24 years, QALE was 6.76 QALYs, and discounted lifetime medical costs were $198,700 (Table 2). “Dual therapy” yielded 30.8% attaining SVR, increased LE by 0.52 years to 13.76 years, QALE by 0.84 QALY to 7.60 QALY, and lifetime medical costs by $23,200. The ICER for treating patients with dual therapy compared to no treatment was $27,700/QALY gained.
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The “PEG/RBV trial” strategy was the least costly approach to using an HCV proteaseinhibitor. “PEG/RBV trial” increased SVR to 72% and LE and QALE compared to “dual therapy” by 0.70 years and 1.13 QALY, a larger gain than that provided by “dual therapy” compared to “no treatment.” “PEG/RBV trial” increased lifetime medical cost compared to “dual therapy” by $42,300 to $264,200, resulting in an ICER for “PEG/RBV trial” compared to “dual therapy” of $37,500/QALY. The “IL28B triage” and “triple therapy” scenarios both increased SVR by $300,000/QALY (Table 2). Sensitivity analysis “PEG/RBV trial” remained the preferred ($500,000/QALY. When we reduced the cost of PEG/RBV/TVR by 50%, the “triple therapy” strategy was most efficient, with an ICER compared to no treatment of $20,500/QALY. This remained the preferred strategy at a threshold of $100,000/QALY as long as the cost of PEG/RBV/TVR was less than $50,000 (57% of base case cost). When we increased the cost of PEG/RBV/TVR by 50%, the “PEG/RBV trial” strategy was preferred with an ICER of $55,600/QALY compared to “dual therapy.” “PEG/RBV trial” remained the preferred treatment strategy with an ICER 500 at baseline on ART Standardized mortality ratio (SMR)a
[72, 73]
Men
4.69
1.00–6.01
Women
7.80
1.00–14.14
IL28B test characteristics
NIH-PA Author Manuscript
Sensitivity
0.99
0.95–1.00
[74–76]
Specificity
0.99
0.96–1.00
[74–76]
25 (23–27)
10–40
[53]
10.8 (9.2–14.3)
5.6–19.3
[25, 77]
2.73
1.38–4.08
[25, 26]
Rate of CD4 decline (cells/µl/month)b
3.03–6.38
1.51–9.56
[78]
Incidence of AIDS events (events/100 PYs)c
0.12–0.55
0.06–0.83
[79–86]
0.80
0.74–0.91
[16, 57]
HCV disease progression Median years to cirrhosis from age of infection (10%–90%)* Median years first liver-event after developing cirrhosis (10%–90%)* Liver-related mortality with cirrhosis (deaths/100 PYs) HIV disease progression
HCV therapy efficacy PEG/RBV therapy CC genotype at rs12979860 Probability of RVR
NIH-PA Author Manuscript
Probability of SVR given RVR
0.91
0.77–0.94
[16, 57]
Probability of withdrawal (toxicity or non-adherence)
0.23
0.19–0.29
[57]
Probability of withdrawal due to toxicity
0.10
0.08–0.13
[87]
Total probability of SVR
0.55
0.40–0.69
[16, 54–57]
0.42
0.33–0.52
[16, 57]
Non-CC allele (TT or TC) Probability of RVR Probability of SVR given RVR
0.64
0.57–0.73
[16, 57]
Probability of withdrawal (toxicity or non-adherence)
0.23
0.19–0.29
[57]
Probability of withdrawal due to toxicity
0.10
0.08–0.13
[87]
Total probability of SVR
0.20
0.13–0.30
[16, 54–57]
Probability of having treatment failure (HCV viremia >1,000/ml)
0.18
0.02–0.21
[88]
Probability of withdrawal (toxicity or non-adherence)
0.18
0.06–0.23
[3]
PEG/RBV/TVR
AIDS. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2015 January 28.
Benjamin P. et al.
Page 20
Base Case Value
Variable
Range Evaluated in Sensitivity Analyses
Source(s)
NIH-PA Author Manuscript
Probability of withdrawal due to toxicity
0.08
0.03–0.10
[88, 89]
Total probability of SVR
0.74
0.65–0.86
[3]
Probability of withdrawal
0.03
0.02–0.04
[6, 7]
Probability of withdrawal for toxicity
0.006
0.004–0.009
See text
Total probability of SVR
0.90
0.80–0.95
[6, 7]
0
0–0.029
[57, 88, 90]
ART efficacy (proportion HIV RNA < 400 copies/ml at 24 weeks)d
0.15–0.86
0.13–0.99
[91–95]
ART efficacy (proportion HIV RNA < 50 copies/ml at 24 weeks)d
0.15–0.65
0.12–0.75
[91–95]
CD4 rise on suppressive ART (cells/µl/month)d
26–90
13–135
[91–95]
HIV loss to follow-up (rate/100 PYs)e
24.17
12.09–36.26
[96]
$80
$40-$120
[31]
$1,600-$4,800
$800-$7,700
[33, 34, 38]
Without HCV (HIV only)f
$300- $20,600
$150-$30,900
[31, 32, 35–37]
With HCVf
$370-$23,300
$190-$35,000
[19, 31, 39]
TVR
$15,200
$7,600-$23,000
[33]
PEGg
$2,100
$1,100-$3,200
[33]
RBVh
$1,400
$700-$2,100
[33]
Filgrastimi
$1,900
$900-$2,700
[33]
$160
$80-$320
[33]
Total costs of dual therapyl
$43,000
$21,500-$64,500
[31, 33]
Total costs of triple therapyk
$87,300
$43,700-$131,000
[31, 33]
Total costs of IFN-free therapy
$131,000
$98,200-$196,500
See text
IFN-free therapy
Probability of death due to toxicity for all strategies HIV therapy efficacy
Costs Costs of screening tests and ART
NIH-PA Author Manuscript
IL28B assay test ART costsd Healthcare costs
HCV therapy costs/month
Clobetasol propionatej
NIH-PA Author Manuscript
Cost of treatment ending toxicity for triple and IFN-free therapy
$360
$180-$540
[30, 31, 33, 97, 98]
Cost of treatment ending toxicity for dual therapy
$420
$210-$630
[30, 31, 33, 57, 97]
Provider visit costsm
$120
$60–180
Quality of life HCV-related quality of life No fibrosis to moderate fibrosis
0.89
0.75–0.95
[20, 22, 43]
Cirrhosis
0.62
0.55–0.75
[20, 22, 43]
Decompensated cirrhosis
0.48
0.40–0.60
[20, 22, 43]
On IFN (applied to appropriate HCV-attributable QoL)
0.90
0.84–0.96
[42]
On IFN-free therapy (applied to appropriate HCV-attributable QoL)n
0.95
0.90–0.99
See text
AIDS. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2015 January 28.
Benjamin P. et al.
Page 21
Variable
NIH-PA Author Manuscript
Base Case Value
Range Evaluated in Sensitivity Analyses
Source(s)
0.16
0.09–0.25
[99]
0.87
0.78–0.96
[41]
Major toxicity decrement (monthly)o HIV-related quality of life (CD4 cells/µl) >500 351–500
0.86
0.77–0.95
[41]
251–350
0.86
0.77–0.95
[41]
101–250
0.85
0.76–0.94
[41]
51–100
0.85
0.76–0.94
[41]
0.83
0.74–0.92
[41]
0.69–0.78
0.69–0.78
[40]
≤50 With acute AIDS-related eventp
SD: standard deviation; IL28B: interleukin-28B; ART: anti-retroviral therapy; PYs: person-years; PEG: peginterferon; RBV: ribavirin; TVR: telaprevir; SVR: sustained virologic response; RVR: rapid virologic response; IFN: interferon; OI: opportunistic infection; MSM: men who have sex with men; IDU: injection drug user Note: all costs are in 2011 U.S. dollars. *
NIH-PA Author Manuscript
These parameters are entered into the model as distributions rather than point estimates, allowing for first-order Monte Carlo variance. Numbers in parentheses next to the base case value represent either the standard deviation (if normally distributed) or the tenth and ninetieth percentile values (if non-normally distributed) of the distribution. The ranges provided in the sensitivity analysis column provide the range of central measure (mean or median) that we tested in sensitivity analyses. a
The SMR captures elevated non-HIV and non-HCV mortality among those who are HIV/HCV co-infected. It reflects competing risks of death from substance use and other co-morbidities. To determine the SMR for the entire cohort, we first identified risk-group specific SMRs (MSM, IDU, heterosexual risk) by sex, and then took the weighted average of these estimates, using the proportion of each risk-factor among HIV/HCV co-infected patients. b
Depending on HIV RNA.
c
Depending on CD4, OI history and event type.
d
Depending on ART regimen.
e
Beginning in month 18 (we assumed no HIV-related loss to follow-up during HCV treatment).
f Depending on age, sex, duration of HIV infection, and CD4 count. g
13% of patients received a reduced weekly dose of 135 mcg in response to non-treatment ending neutropenia [100].
h
NIH-PA Author Manuscript
Assumed to be 1,200 mg/day for a 75 kg person; 36% of patients on triple therapy and 17% of patients on dual therapy receive a reduced dose RBV = 600 mg/day in response to non-treatment ending anemia [100]. i 13% of patients developed non-treatment ending neutropenia (absolute neutrophil count < 750/ml) and received filgrastim 300 mcg/two times weekly [100]. j
28% of patients on triple therapy during the first 3 months of therapy receive 150 g per month for treating mild rash [100].
k
Includes an additional cost of a nursing visit for patients who have adverse events.
l
Depending on treatment month.
m
Treatment visit costs are higher in the first month compared to other months.
n
The multiplier is applied for 3 months instead of 12 months for IFN-free therapy, resulting in 0.5 quality-adjusted life months saved compared to being on PEG/RBV therapy. o
This utility “toll” was subtracted from a patient’s health state utility during the month of a major toxicity event.
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Benjamin P. et al.
Page 22
p
Depending on type of OI event.
NIH-PA Author Manuscript NIH-PA Author Manuscript NIH-PA Author Manuscript AIDS. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2015 January 28.
NIH-PA Author Manuscript
NIH-PA Author Manuscript
Strategy
277,700
269,200
264,200
221,900
198,700
Cost ($)
8.750
8.743
8.728
7.600
6.760
QALE
Discounted
8,500
5,000
42,300
23,200
---
Cost ($)
0.007
0.016
1.128
0.839
---
QALY
1,240,000
319,400
37,500
27,700
---
CER ($/QALY)
Incremental
Note: all costs and QALYs are lifetime and discounted at an annual rate of 3%. Costs are in 2011 US dollars and rounded to the nearest $100. All life-years and QALYs are rounded to the nearest thousandth.
QALY: quality-adjusted life year; CER: cost-effectiveness ratio; PEG/RBV: Peginterferon and Ribavirin; IL28B: interleukin-28B
14.462
14.463
72.3
IL28B triage 72.5
14.459
Triple therapy
13.761
30.8 72.1
13.240
0
Dual therapy
Life Expectancy
% Attaining SVR
PEG/RBV trial
No treatment
Undiscounted
Incremental cost effectiveness ratios of HIV/HCV telaprevir-based treatment strategies
NIH-PA Author Manuscript
Table 2 Benjamin P. et al. Page 23
AIDS. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2015 January 28.
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