Improved Health Outcomes from Hepatitis C Treatment Scale-Up in Spain's Prisons: A Cost-Effectiveness Study

Sci Rep. 2019 Nov 14;9(1):16849. doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-52564-0.

Abstract

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is 15 times more prevalent among persons in Spain's prisons than in the community. Recently, Spain initiated a pilot program, JAILFREE-C, to treat HCV in prisons using direct-acting antivirals (DAAs). Our aim was to identify a cost-effective strategy to scale-up HCV treatment in all prisons. Using a validated agent-based model, we simulated the HCV landscape in Spain's prisons considering disease transmission, screening, treatment, and prison-community dynamics. Costs and disease outcomes under status quo were compared with strategies to scale-up treatment in prisons considering prioritization (HCV fibrosis stage vs. HCV prevalence of prisons), treatment capacity (2,000/year vs. unlimited) and treatment initiation based on sentence lengths (>6 months vs. any). Scaling-up treatment by treating all incarcerated persons irrespective of their sentence length provided maximum health benefits-preventing 10,200 new cases of HCV, and 8,300 HCV-related deaths between 2019-2050; 90% deaths prevented would have occurred in the community. Compared with status quo, this strategy increased quality-adjusted life year (QALYs) by 69,700 and costs by €670 million, yielding an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of €9,600/QALY. Scaling-up HCV treatment with DAAs for the entire Spanish prison population, irrespective of sentence length, is cost-effective and would reduce HCV burden.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Antiviral Agents / economics*
  • Antiviral Agents / therapeutic use
  • Cost-Benefit Analysis*
  • Female
  • Health Care Costs / statistics & numerical data
  • Hepacivirus / drug effects*
  • Hepacivirus / growth & development
  • Hepacivirus / pathogenicity
  • Hepatitis C, Chronic / drug therapy
  • Hepatitis C, Chronic / economics*
  • Hepatitis C, Chronic / epidemiology*
  • Hepatitis C, Chronic / transmission
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Models, Statistical
  • Prevalence
  • Prisoners*
  • Prisons
  • Quality-Adjusted Life Years
  • Spain / epidemiology

Substances

  • Antiviral Agents