Hepatitis C virus infections are a great medical and health politics problem worldwide because of their relatively frequent occurrence and above all because of the high probability of a chronic and partly progredient progress of the disease. A therapy that starts early in the course of the chronic disease promises an individual medical advantage and is also seen as an important factor for the national economy.
In summer 2004 a health technology assessment "Chronic Hepatitis C: Implications for therapy and the economical application of resources in Austria" was released by the ITA. Following these results a decision analytic modelling in cooperation with Uwe Siebert (Havard Medical School, Boston, USA) was started. Secondary diseases, life expectancy, and the costs for life-long treatment of chronic hepatitis C and secondary diseases were included in this model. Costs and benefits for different strategies were calculated in the context of the Austrian health care system.
08/2005 - 03/2006