1. The cost-effectiveness of integrating simplified HCV testing into HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and treatment services among men who have sex with men in TaiwanResearch in context
- Author
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Huei-Jiuan Wu, Tanya L. Applegate, Jisoo A. Kwon, Evan B. Cunningham, Jason Grebely, Richard T. Gray, and Sophy T.F. Shih
- Subjects
Point-of-care testing ,Integrated services ,Hepatitis C ,HIV oral-pre-exposure prophylaxis ,Men who have sex with men ,Public aspects of medicine ,RA1-1270 - Abstract
Summary: Background: Simplified hepatitis C virus (HCV) testing integrated into existing HIV services has the potential to improve HCV diagnoses and treatment. We evaluated the cost-effectiveness of integrating different simplified HCV testing strategies into existing HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and treatment services among men who have sex with men (MSM) in Taiwan. Methods: Mathematical modeling was used to assess the cost-effectiveness of integrating simplified HCV tests (point-of-care antibody, reflex RNA, or immediate point-of-care RNA) with HCV treatment into existing HIV prevention and care for MSM from a healthcare perspective. The impact of increasing PrEP and HIV treatment coverage among MSM in combination with these HCV testing strategies was also considered. We reported lifetime costs (2022 US dollars) and quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) and calculated incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) with a 3% annual discounting rate. Findings: Point-of-care HCV antibody and reflex RNA testing are cost-effective compared to current HCV testing in all PrEP and HIV treatment coverage scenarios (ICERs
- Published
- 2024
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