ArticleBMC infectious diseases2019
Elimination of hepatitis C virus in Germany: modelling the cost-effectiveness of HCV screening strategies.
Article in BMC infectious diseases, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
14 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 26 citations in OpenAlex.
- Are intersectoral costs considered in economic evaluations of interventions relating to sexually transmitted infections (STIs)? A systematic review.BMC public health · 2022Pooled it
- Health economic evaluation of health promotion and disease prevention in Germany: a scoping review.Health economics review · 2026Review
- Cost and cost-effectiveness of alternative screening and diagnostic pathways for achieving hepatitis C elimination in the country of Georgia.PLOS global public health · 2026Article
- Low Prevalence of HCV Infection Among MSM in an Intervention for HCV Micro-Elimination in Rome Urges a Focus on High-Risk Behaviours.Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Article
- 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 Taiwan.The Lancet regional health. Western Pacific · 2024Article
- Hepatitis C screening in Lithuania: first-year results and scenarios for achieving WHO elimination targets.BMC public health · 2024Article
- Review
- Real-world experience for the outcomes and costs of treating hepatitis C patients: Results from the German Hepatitis C-Registry (DHC-R).Zeitschrift fur Gastroenterologie · 2023Article
- Real-world impact of a subsidy decision of sofosbuvir-velpatasvir for treatment of chronic hepatitis C on clinical practice and patient outcomes.JGH open : an open access journal of gastroenterology and hepatology · 2023Article
- Hepatitis C virus: A critical approach to who really needs treatment.World journal of hepatology · 2022Review
- A cost-effectiveness study of universal screening for hepatitis C virus infection in South Korea: A societal perspective.Clinical and molecular hepatology · 2022Article
- The cost-effectiveness of case-finding strategies for achieving hepatitis C elimination among men who have sex with men in the UK.Journal of viral hepatitis · 2021Article
- Hepatitis C virus: Current steps toward elimination in Germany and barriers to reaching the 2030 goal.Health science reports · 2021Review
- Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundChronic hepatitis C is a major public health burden. With new interferon-free direct-acting agents (showing sustained viral response rates of more than 98%), elimination of HCV seems feasible for the first time. However, as HCV infection often remains undiagnosed, screening is crucial for improving health outcomes of HCV-patients. Our aim was to assess the long-term cost-effectiveness of a nationwide screening strategy in Germany.
methodsWe used a Markov cohort model to simulate disease progression and examine long-term population outcomes, HCV associated costs and cost-effectiveness of HCV screening. The model divides the total population into three subpopulations: general population (GEP), people who inject drugs (PWID) and HIV-infected men who have sex with men (MSM), with total infection numbers being highest in GEP, but new infections occurring only in PWIDs and MSM. The model compares four alternative screening strategies (no/basic/advanced/total screening) differing in participation and treatment rates.
resultsTotal number of HCV-infected patients declined from 275,000 in 2015 to between 125,000 (no screening) and 14,000 (total screening) in 2040. Similarly, lost quality adjusted life years (QALYs) were 320,000 QALYs lower, while costs were 2.4 billion EUR higher in total screening compared to no screening. While incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) increased sharply in GEP and MSM with more comprehensive strategies (30,000 EUR per QALY for total vs. advanced screening), ICER decreased in PWIDs (30 EUR per QALY for total vs. advanced screening).
conclusionsScreening is key to have an efficient decline of the HCV-infected population in Germany. Recommendation for an overall population screening is to screen the total PWID subpopulation, and to apply less comprehensive advanced screening for MSM and GEP.
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