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TUESDAY, July 10, 2018 (HealthDay News) — For patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection with end-stage renal disease, transplant of an HCV-infected kidney followed by treatment is more cost-effective than transplant of an HCV-uninfected kidney, according to a study published online July 10 in the Annals of Internal Medicine<\/i>.<\/p>\n
Mark H. Eckman, M.D., from the University of Cincinnati, and colleagues compared the cost-effectiveness of transplanting HCV-infected or HCV-uninfected kidneys into HCV-infected patients. Transplant of an HCV-infected kidney was followed by HCV treatment, while transplant of an uninfected kidney was preceded by treatment.<\/p>\n
The researchers found that, compared with transplant of an uninfected kidney, preceded by treatment, transplant of an HCV-infected kidney, followed by HCV treatment, was more effective and less costly in base-case analysis; this was mainly due to longer wait times for uninfected kidneys. An average of 0.5 quality-adjusted life-years would be gained at a lifetime cost savings of $41,591 for a typical 57.8-year-old patient receiving hemodialysis. In sensitivity analysis, transplant of an HCV-infected kidney continued to be preferred. Unless the additional wait time for an uninfected kidney was less than 161 days, transplant of an HCV-uninfected kidney preceded by HCV treatment was not preferred.<\/p>\n
“Transplanting HCV-infected kidneys into HCV-infected patients increased quality-adjusted life expectancy and reduced costs compared with transplanting HCV-uninfected kidneys into HCV-infected patients,” the authors write.<\/p>\n
The study was funded by a grant from Merck Sharp & Dohme.<\/p>\n
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