A real-world observational study of drug utilization and clinical outcomes of direct-acting antivirals and interferon therapy for hepatitis C treatment in Taiwan.

CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, our results confirmed that insurance coverage of DAAs led to better clinical outcomes than INF, and this may reduce increases in medical expenses and the risks of rehospitalization and liver function disorders. What is known on this topic Interferon for hepatitis C have low efficacy with serious side effects, while the efficacy of new oral drugs (direct-acting antivirals, DAAs) is high. DAAs were approved for listing in Taiwan in December 2013, and they have been covered by National Health Insurance since January 2017. Little is known about DAA-related real-world evidence following the coverage of DAAs in Taiwan, including drug utilization, expenditures, and safety. What this study adds This study explored three important issues related to DAAs: drug utilization, medical expenses, and clinical outcomes following the insurance coverage by using the national health insurance database. Cases were divided into three groups based on the treatment type: traditional treatment (interferon, INF), new drug treatment (DAA), and INF-experienced (INF followed by DAAs). After the adjustment of various personal and hospital factors, the DAA group and INF-experienced group had significantly lower rehospitalization rates, and the DAA group had a significantly lower risk of liver function disorders, compared to the interferon group. There was a lower chance of re-hospitalization and lower liver function disorder rates with longer treatment. PMID: 33251875 [P...
Source: Current Medical Research and Opinion - Category: Research Tags: Curr Med Res Opin Source Type: research