Cost-Effectiveness in Hepatitis B
Authors: Gil Weitzman, Ira Jacobson
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2005)

Letters15 November 2005Cost-Effectiveness in Hepatitis BGil Weitzman, MD and Ira Jacobson, MDGil Weitzman, MDFrom the Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, NY 10021.Search for more papers by this author and Ira Jacobson, MDFrom the Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, NY 10021.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-143-10-200511150-00021 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail TO THE EDITOR:In the cost-effectiveness analysis by Kanwal and colleagues (1), the authors conclude that a hybrid salvage strategy for chronic hepatitis B (HBV) infection (lamivudine with crossover to adefovir on resistance) is more cost-effective than adefovir monotherapy. This assessment does not sufficiently take into account the consequences of lamivudine resistance. Entecavir (Bristol-Myers Squibb, New York, New York) is a newly approved nucleoside analogue with greater antiviral potency than lamivudine in large comparative trials (2); in 48-week trials in treatment-naive patients, no resistance has been demonstrated. However, its potency is diminished in the presence of lamivudine-resistant HBV infection. Only ...References1. Kanwal F, Gralnek IM, Martin P, Dulai GS, Farid M, Spiegel BM. Treatment alternatives for chronic hepatitis B virus infection: a cost-effectiveness analysis. Ann Intern Med. 2005;142:821-31. [PMID: 15897532] LinkGoogle Scholar2. Dienstag JL, Wei LJ, Xu D, Cross A, Kreter B, Wilber R. Proceedings of the 40th Meeting of the European Association for the Study of the Liver. Paris: European Association for the Study of the Liver; 2005. Google Scholar3. Baraclude (entecavir) [monograph]. Princeton: Bristol-Myers Squibb; March 2005. Google Scholar4. Locarnini S, Qi X, Arterburn S. Proceedings of the 40th Meeting of the European Association for the Study of the Liver. Paris: European Association for the Study of the Liver; 2005. Google Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAuthors: Gil Weitzman, MD; Ira Jacobson, MDAffiliations: From the Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, NY 10021.Disclosures: Consultancies: I. Jacobson (Gilead Sciences, Bristol-Myers Squibb). PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoTreatment Alternatives for Chronic Hepatitis B Virus Infection: A Cost-Effectiveness Analysis Fasiha Kanwal , Ian M. Gralnek , Paul Martin , Gareth S. Dulai , Mary Farid , and Brennan M.R. Spiegel Cost-Effectiveness in Hepatitis B Brennan M.R. Spiegel , Paul Martin , and Fasiha Kanwal Metrics Cited byThe Cost-effectiveness of Screening for Chronic Hepatitis B Infection in the United StatesAnalysis of the cost-effectiveness of antiviral therapies in chronic hepatitis B patients in KoreaEconomic evaluation of chronic hepatitis B treatments in TaiwanThe cost-effectiveness of long-term antiviral therapy in the management of HBeAg-positive and HBeAg-negative chronic hepatitis B in SingaporeEvaluation of the appropriateness of hepatitis B serology testing prescribed by general practitioners in a selected area of southern Italy 15 November 2005Volume 143, Issue 10 Page: 757-758 Keywords Drugs Forecasting Health care Hepatitis A Hepatitis B Interferons Mutation Nucleosides Patients Polymerase chain reaction ePublished: 15 November 2005 Issue Published: 15 November 2005 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2005 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...