- Center on Health Equity & Access
- Clinical
- Health Care Cost
- Health Care Delivery
- Insurance
- Policy
- Technology
- Value-Based Care
What We're Reading: Treating Earlier With Pricey HCV Drugs
What we're reading, November 24, 2015: expensive hepatitis C drugs are more cost effective when used earlier; clinicians aren't prescribing generics enough; and half of health 45-year-olds will develop prediabetes.
Using Hepatitis C Drugs Earlier May Be More Cost Effective
A study from the University of California, San Francisco, found that giving patients costly new hepatitis C drugs earlier to cure their disease may be more cost effective than delaying treatment. The drugs can cost up to $100,000 for a full course of treatment, but the savings and the improvement in the patients’ quality of life could justify using the drugs during the early stages of liver fibrosis. Usually patients are treated when they reach stages 3 or 4 of liver fibrosis, but the researchers estimated that treating at all stages could yield savings of $3.3 billion.
Clinicians Don’t Prescribe Generics Enough
Generic medications are being underused in the United States and could be prescribed more by clinicians, according to the American College of Physicians. A paper published in Annals of Internal Medicine found that in Medicare beneficiaries with diabetes, the use of brand name drugs that had generics available accounted for 25% to 45% of prescriptions, depending on the class. Medicare could save $1.4 billion for patients with diabetes, according to the study.
Half of Healthy Adults Will Develop Prediabetes
A study from The Netherlands determined that almost half of healthy 45-year-olds will develop prediabetes, Reuters reported. Slightly less than one-third (31%) will develop diabetes, and 9% will begin to use insulin. The risks increased as body mass index or waist circumference increased. The researchers wrote in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology that their findings emphasize the need for more effective prevention strategies implemented earlier in a person’s life.
Elevated Inflammatory Marker Levels Associated With Increased Overactive Bladder Risk
April 15th 2025Systemic immune inflammation index, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, and systemic inflammation response index levels may offer a noninvasive method to identify individuals at increased risk of developing overactive bladder.
Read More
Significant Disease Burden and Management Issues in Chronic Spontaneous Urticaria
April 15th 2025Patients with chronic spontaneous urticaria experienced a long delay in diagnosis, a substantial impact on their quality of life, and often received inadequate treatment, highlighting the need for better management and understanding of the condition.
Read More
