Cost-Effectiveness of Point-of-Care Hepatitis C Virus RNA Testing in the US

Is point-of-care (POC) hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA-first testing cost-effective compared with the standard laboratory-based algorithm in high-prevalence care settings?In this economic evaluation modeling simulated cohorts of individuals eligible for HCV testing, compared with standard of care, the POC HCV RNA-first testing strategy was projected to substantially improve outcomes across all care settings analyzed. Specifically, it was associated with increased HCV diagnosis, linkage to care, and treatment initiation and with reduced forward transmission, incidence of chronic HCV, and related complications.These findings suggest that POC HCV RNA-first testing was the dominant strategy (more effective and lower costs) across all care settings analyzed; higher short-term treatment costs were offset in the longer-term through reduced incidence of chronic HCV, resulting in long-term cost savings to US payers.

Corresponding Author: Emily B. Kahn, PhD, Real-world Evidence Solutions, IQVIA, 3110 Fairview Park Dr, Ste 220, Falls Church, VA 22042 (emily.kahn@iqvia.com).

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