Real-world cost-effectiveness associated with infliximab maintenance therapy for moderate to severe Crohn's disease in China

BACKGROUND Infliximab was the first approved biologic treatment for moderate to severe Crohn's disease(MS-CD) in China. However, the cost-effectiveness of infliximab maintenance therapy(IMT) for MS-CD relative to conventional maintenance therapy remained unclarified.AIM To assess the cost-effectiveness of IMT for MS-CD in Chinese patients from the perspective of Chinese public insurance payer.METHODS A cohort of MS-CD patients managed in a Chinese tertiary care hospital was created to compare IMT with conventional maintenance therapy(CMT) for clinical outcomes and direct medical costs over a 1-year observation time using conventional regression analyses. A decision-analytic model with the generated evidence was constructed to assess the cost-effectiveness of IMT relative to CMT using reimbursed medical costs.RESULTS Based on the included 389 patients, IMT was associated with significantly higher disease remission chance [odds ratio: 4.060, P = 0.003], lower risk of developing new complications(odds ratio: 0.527, P = 0.010), higher utility value for quality of life(coefficient 0.822, P = 0.008), and lower total hospital costs related to disease management(coefficient-0.378, P = 0.008) than CMT. Base-case cost-effectiveness analysis estimated that IMT could cost Chinese health insurance payers $55260 to gain one quality-adjusted life year(QALY). The cost-effectiveness of IMT was mainly driven by the estimate of quality of life, treatment efficacy of maintenance therapy, mortality risk associated with active disease, and unit price of infliximab. The probability that IMT was cost-effective at a willingness-to-pay threshold of three times gross domestic product [2018 Chinese gross domestic product per capita(GDPPC)] was 86.4%.CONCLUSION IMT significantly improved real-world health outcomes and cost the Chinese public health insurance payers less than one GDPPC to gain one QALY in Chinese MS-CD patients.

Economic burden and its associated factors of hospitalized patients infected with A (H7N9) virus: a retrospective study in Eastern China, 2013–2014

Background:H7N9 continues to cause human infections and remains a pandemic concern.Understanding the economic impacts of this novel disease is important for making decisions on health resource allocation,including infectious disease prevention and control investment.However,there are limited data on such impacts.Methods:Hospitalized laboratory-confirmed H7N9 patients or their families in Jiangsu Province of China were interviewed.Patients’direct medical costs of hospitalization were derived from their hospital bills.A generalized linear model was employed to estimate the mean direct medical costs of patients with different characteristics.Results:The mean direct cost of hospitalization for H7N9 was estimated to be¥71060(95%CI,48180–104820),i.e.,US$10996(95%CI,7455–16220),and was¥12060(US$1861),¥136120(US$21001)and¥218610(US$33728)for those who had mild or severe symptoms or who died,respectively.The principal components of the total fees differed among patients with different disease severity,although medication fees were always the largest contributors.Disease severity,proportion of reimbursement and family member monthly average income were identified as the key factors that contributed to a patient’s direct medical cost of hospitalization.Conclusions:The direct medical costs of hospitalized patients with H7N9 are significant,and far surpass the annual per capita income of Jiangsu Province,China.The influencing factors identified should be taken into account when developing related health insurance policies and making health resource allocation.Trial registration:Not applicable.This is a survey study with no health care intervention implemented on human participants.