Economic Impact of European Liver and Intestine Transplantation Association (ELITA) Recommendations for Hepatitis B Prophylaxis After Liver Transplantation

The European Liver and Intestine Transplant Association, ELITA, promoted a Consensus Conference involving 20 experts across the world which generated updated guidelines on HBV prophylaxis in liver transplant candidates and recipients. This study explores the economic impact associated with the implementation of the new ELITA guidelines. To this aim, a condition-specific cohort simulation model has been developed to compare new and historical prophylaxis, including only pharmaceutical cost and using the European perspective. The target population simulated in the model included both prevalent and incident cases, and consisted of 6,133 patients after the first year, that increased to 7,442 and 8,743 patents after 5 and 10 years from its implementation. The ELITA protocols allowed a cost saving of around € 235.65 million after 5 years and € 540.73 million after 10 years; which was mainly due to early HIBG withdrawal either after the first 4 weeks or after the first year post Liver Transplantation (LT) depending on the virological risk at transplantation. Results were confirmed by sensitivity analyses. The money saved by the implementation of the ELITA guidelines would allow healthcare decision makers and budget holders to understand where costs could be reduced and resources re-allocated to different needs.