An estimated 100 million people in China are living with chronic hepatitis B infection, making it the most prevalent life threatening disease in the country. If left untreated, hepatitis B can lead to serious liver damage and is the leading cause of liver-related cancer and deaths in China. Despite the availability of effective therapies, there is no national policy in place to cover hepatitis B treatment and many patients, particularly those with rural health plans, can’t afford it.
Now, in the first comprehensive, independent study of its kind, researchers at Stanford and the University of Michigan have published a cost-effective analysis of all available treatments – branded and generic – for chronic hepatitis B in China. The analysis, published today in PLOS ONE, quantifies the economic value and potential life-saving benefits of implementing a national treatment strategy in China.
The paper is also the first to provide cost thresholds, meaning the specific price point at which a particular drug would be cost-effective or offer cost-savings.
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