Economic Analysis and Budget Impact of Tenofovir and Entecavir in the First-Line Treatment of Hepatitis B Virus in Italy.

BACKGROUND: Chronic hepatitis B is a common, progressive disease, particularly when viral replication is detected. Oral antivirals can suppress viral replication and prevent or delay the development of cirrhosis and liver-related complications. The treatments of chronic hepatitis B cannot totally cure the disease but can prevent its progression to hepatocellular carcinoma, decreasing the levels of both morbidity and mortality. To date, there are several therapies indicated by the international guidelines as first-line treatments for the management of hepatitis B; two of the most effective are those based on either tenofovir or entecavir. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of tenofovir and entecavir in the treatment of naïve patients with chronic hepatitis B. The two treatments are compared with the "no treatment" and to one another. METHODS: The cost-effectiveness analysis was conducted using a Markov model; patients entered one of the following health states: chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis (compensated or decompensated), hepatocellular carcinoma, liver transplantation or death. The analysis was carried out from the perspective of the Italian National Health Service by considering a life-time horizon with cycles lasting 1 year and with costs and QALYs (quality-adjusted life years) discounted at a rate of 3.5%. The results of the model were analysed in terms of incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER). RESULTS: ICERs for tenofovir and entecavir emerging from the comparison versus "no treatment" were equal to €10,274.73 and €16,300.44 per QALY gained, respectively, on the life-time horizon. Tenofovir was dominant in the direct comparison with entecavir, indicating more QALYs and a lower consumption of resources. The Monte Carlo simulation demonstrated that in 97% (tenofovir) and in 85% (entecavir) of the scenarios performed, the cost per QALY fell below the threshold of €30,000/QALY. The budget impact analysis showed savings for tenofovir amounting to 33% compared to entecavir in the first year on treatment and to 31% in following years. CONCLUSIONS: Entecavir and tenofovir are recommended for the treatment of patients with chronic Hepatitis B in the Italian Health System. In particular, tenofovir appeared to be the more cost-effective drug for the management of chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infections. These results could help decision makers and clinicians to address their decision when choosing a first-line treatment for the management of people affected by chronic HBV.

[Disphagia secondary to cervical osteophytes]. / Disfagia como manifestación de exóstosis vertebral cervical.

Disphagia is a common cause of medical query in the ENT field, in which could be involved a variety of medical reason. One of those is the extrinsic compression of the digestive tract due to a tumoral process, or as the case we report, secundary to a large osteophyte at the anterior side of the cervical spine, after a surgical intervention in this area.

Disfagia como manifestación de exóstosis vertebral cervical / Disphagia secondary to cervical osteophytes

La disfagia es un motivo de consulta frecuente en el ámbito de la otorrinolaringología, en la que pueden estar implicados diferentes mecanismos de producción. Uno de estos mecanismos son las compresiones extrínseca del tracto digestivo ya sea de origen tumoral o como en el caso que presentamos como consecuencia de un osteofito o hiperóstosis de gran tamaño a nivel de columna cervical anterior tras cirugía ortopédica en la zona

Disphagia is a common cause of medical query in the ENT field, in which could be involved a variety of medical reason. One of those is the extrinsic compression of the digestive tract due to a tumoral process, or as the case we report, secundary to a large osteophyte at the anterior side of the cervical spine, after a surgical intervention in this area