Cost-effectiveness of dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine compared with artemether-lumefantrine for treating uncomplicated malaria in children at a district hospital in Tanzania

Cost-Utility Analysis of Community Case Management for Malaria Control in Burundi

BACKGROUND

The community case management (CCM) program for malaria control is a community-based strategy implemented to regulate malaria in children in Burundi. This study compared the cost and utility of implementing the CCM program combined with health facility management (HFM) versus HFM alone for malaria control in children under five in Burundi.

METHODS

This study constructed a five-year Markov model with one-week cycles to estimate cost-utility and budget impact analysis (BIA). The model defined 10 health states, simulating the progression of the disease and the risk of recurrent malaria in children under five years of age. Cost data were empirically collected and presented for 2019. Incremental cost per disability-adjusted life year (DALY) averted, and a five-year budget was estimated. One-way and probabilistic sensitivity analyses (PSAs) were then performed.

RESULTS

From provider and societal perspectives, combining the CCM program with HFM for malaria control in Burundi was more cost-effective than implementing HFM alone. The addition of CCM, using artesunate amodiaquine (ASAQ) as the first-line treatment, increased by US$1.70, and US$ 1.67 per DALY averted from the provider and societal perspectives, respectively. Using Artemether Lumefantrine (AL) as the first-line treatment, adding the CCM program to HFM increased by US$ 1.92, and US$ 1.87 per DALY averted from the provider and societal perspectives. At a willingness-to-pay of one GDP/capita, the CCM program remained a 100% chance of being cost-effective. In addition, implementing the program for five years requires a budget of US$ 15 800 486-19 765 117.

CONCLUSION

Implementing the CCM program and HFM is value for money for malaria control in Burundi. The findings can support decision-makers in Burundi in deciding on resource allocation, especially during the program's scale up.

Costs and Cost-Effectiveness of Malaria Control Interventions: A Systematic Literature Review

OBJECTIVES

To systematically review the literature on the unit cost and cost-effectiveness of malaria control.

METHODS

Ten databases and gray literature sources were searched to identify evidence relevant to the period 2005 to 2018. Studies with primary financial or economic cost data from malaria endemic countries that took a provider, provider and household, or societal perspective were included.

RESULTS

We identified 103 costing studies. The majority of studies focused on individual rather than combined interventions, notably insecticide-treated bed nets and treatment, and commonly took a provider perspective. A third of all studies took place in 3 countries. The median provider economic cost of protecting 1 person per year ranged from $1.18 to $5.70 with vector control and from $0.53 to $5.97 with chemoprevention. The median provider economic cost per case diagnosed with rapid diagnostic tests was $6.06 and per case treated $9.31 or $89.93 depending on clinical severity. Other interventions did not share enough similarities to be summarized. Cost drivers were rarely reported. Cost-effectiveness of malaria control was reiterated, but care in methodological and reporting standards is required to enhance data transferability.

CONCLUSIONS

Important information that can support resource allocation was reviewed. Given the variability in methods and reporting, global efforts to follow existing standards are required for the evidence to be most useful outside their study context, supplemented by guidance on options for transferring existing data across settings.

Sub-acute toxicological study of artemisinin-piperaquine tablets in rhesus monkeys

Artemisinin-piperaquine tablet (trade name Artequick, ATQ), is a novel combination therapy for the treatment of malaria and especially for resistant P.falciparum malaria. The aim of our study was to assess the potential sub-acute toxicity profile of ATQ by oral administration route in rhesus monkeys. Monkeys were administrated once daily with doses of ATQ (39.1, 78.2, 156.4 mg/kg) for 21 days and then followed-up a 56-day recovery period. The administration of ATQ at high dose produced significant changes in the clinical signs primarily involved in gastrointestinal and nervous systems. Body weight loss, significant decrease in food consumption and body temperature were observed in monkeys at high dose. Various hematological and biochemical parameters changes, and significant pathological lesions (adrenal gland, thymus and femur epiphyseal) were observed in the middle and high dose group at the end of the treatment period. However, the toxic effects of ATQ were reversed and delayed adverse drug reaction did not occur during the recovery period. Based on the results of this study, the no-observed-adverse-effect level for ATQ was considered to be 39.1 mg/kg in rhesus monkeys.

Cost-effectiveness of artemisinin-naphthoquine versus artemether-lumefantrine for the treatment of uncomplicated malaria in Papua New Guinean children

BACKGROUND

A recent randomized trial showed that artemisinin-naphthoquine (AN) was non-inferior to artemether-lumefantrine (AL) for falciparum malaria and superior for vivax malaria in young Papua New Guinean children. The aim of this study was to compare the cost-effectiveness of these two regimens.

METHODS

An incremental cost-effectiveness analysis was performed using data from 231 children with Plasmodium falciparum and/or Plasmodium vivax infections in an open-label, randomized, parallel-group trial. Recruited children were randomized 1:1 to receive once daily AN for 3 days with water or twice daily AL for 3 days given with fat. World Health Organisation (WHO) definitions were used to determine clinical/parasitological outcomes. The cost of transport between the home and clinic, plus direct health-care costs, served as a basis for determining each regimen's incremental cost per incremental treatment success relative to AL by Day 42 and its cost per life year saved.

RESULTS

In the usual care setting, AN was more effective for the treatment of uncomplicated malaria in children aged 0.5-5.9 years. AL and AN were equally efficacious for the treatment of falciparum malaria, however AN had increased anti-malarial treatment costs per patient of $10.46, compared with AL. AN was the most effective regimen for treatment of vivax malaria, but had increased treatment costs of $14.83 per treatment success compared with AL.

CONCLUSIONS

Whilst AN has superior overall efficacy for the treatment of uncomplicated malaria in PNG children, AL was the less costly regimen. An indicative extrapolation estimated the cost per life year saved by using AN instead of AL to treat uncomplicated malaria to be $12,165 for girls and $12,469 for boys (discounted), which means AN may not be cost-effective and affordable for PNG at current cost. However, AN may become acceptable should it become WHO prequalified and/or should donated/subsidized drug supply become available.

LC-MS/MS quantitation of antimalarial drug piperaquine and metabolites in human plasma

PURPOSE

This study aimed to develop a sensitive, quantitative assay for the antimalarial piperaquine (PQ) and its metabolites M1 and M2 in human plasma.

RESULTS

Analytes were gradiently separated on a C18 column and detected with a Sciex API 4000 MS/MS with an ESI source operated in the positive ion mode with deuterated PQ as internal standard. The response was linear in the range 3.9-2508nM with a runtime of 7.0min per sample. The method was applied to clinical samples from healthy volunteers.

CONCLUSION

This LC-MS/MS method for the simultaneous quantitation of PQ and two of its metabolites in plasma may prove helpful for assessment of metabolite safety issues in vivo.

Cost-effectiveness analysis of malaria interventions using disability adjusted life years: a systematic review

BACKGROUND

Malaria continues to be a public health problem despite past and on-going control efforts. For sustenance of control efforts to achieve the malaria elimination goal, it is important that the most cost-effective interventions are employed. This paper reviews studies on cost-effectiveness of malaria interventions using disability-adjusted life years.

METHODS

A review of literature was conducted through a literature search of international peer-reviewed journals as well as grey literature. Searches were conducted through Medline (PubMed), EMBASE and Google Scholar search engines. The searches included articles published in English for the period from 1996 to 2016. The inclusion criteria for the study were type of malaria intervention, year of publication and cost-effectiveness ratio in terms of cost per DALY averted. We included 40 studies which specifically used the DALY metric in cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) of malaria interventions.

RESULTS

The majority of the reviewed studies (75%) were done using data from African settings with the majority of the interventions (60.0%) targeting all age categories. Interventions included case treatment, prophylaxis, vector control, insecticide treated nets, early detection, environmental management, diagnosis and educational programmes. Sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine was the most common drug of choice in malaria prophylaxis, while artemisinin-based combination therapies were the most common drugs for case treatment. Based on guidelines for CEA, most interventions proved cost-effective in terms of cost per DALYs averted for each intervention.

CONCLUSION

The DALY metric is a useful tool for determining the cost-effectiveness of malaria interventions. This paper demonstrates the importance of CEA in informing decisions made by policy makers.

Effects of Response to 2014-2015 Ebola Outbreak on Deaths from Malaria, HIV/AIDS, and Tuberculosis, West Africa

Reduced access to healthcare during the outbreak substantially increased mortality rates from other diseases.

Response to the 2014–2015 Ebola outbreak in West Africa overwhelmed the healthcare systems of Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, reducing access to health services for diagnosis and treatment for the major diseases that are endemic to the region: malaria, HIV/AIDS, and tuberculosis. To estimate the repercussions of the Ebola outbreak on the populations at risk for these diseases, we developed computational models for disease transmission and infection progression. We estimated that a 50% reduction in access to healthcare services during the Ebola outbreak exacerbated malaria, HIV/AIDS, and tuberculosis mortality rates by additional death counts of 6,269 (2,564–12,407) in Guinea; 1,535 (522–2,8780) in Liberia; and 2,819 (844–4,844) in Sierra Leone. The 2014–2015 Ebola outbreak was catastrophic in these countries, and its indirect impact of increasing the mortality rates of other diseases was also substantial.

Budget Impact Analysis of Using Dihydroartemisinin-Piperaquine to Treat Uncomplicated Malaria in Children in Tanzania

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

Dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine (DhP) is a very cost effective anti-malarial drug. The aim of this study was to predict the budget impact of using DhP as a first- or second-line drug to treat uncomplicated malaria in children in Tanzania.

METHODS

A dynamic Markov decision model was developed based on clinical and epidemiological data to estimate annual cases of malaria in children aged under 5 years. The model was used to predict the budget impact of introducing DhP as the first- or second-line anti-malarial drug, from the perspective of the National Malaria Control Program in 2014; thus, only the cost of drugs and diagnostics were considered. Probabilistic sensitivity analysis was performed to explore overall uncertainties in input parameters.

RESULTS

The model predicts that the policy that uses artemether-lumefantrine (AL) and DhP as the first- and second-line drugs (AL + DhP), respectively, will save about $US64,423 per year, while achieving a 3% reduction in the number of malaria cases, compared with that of AL + quinine. However, the policy that uses DhP as the first-line drug (DhP + AL) will consume an additional $US780,180 per year, while achieving a further 5% reduction in the number of malaria cases, compared with that of AL + DhP.

CONCLUSION

The use of DhP as the second-line drug to treat uncomplicated malaria in children in Tanzania is slightly cost saving. However, the policy that uses DhP as the first-line drug is somewhat more expensive but with more health benefits.

An Economic Evaluation of the Posttreatment Prophylactic Effect of Dihydroartemisinin-Piperaquine Versus Artemether-Lumefantrine for First-Line Treatment of Plasmodium falciparum Malaria Across Different Transmission Settings in Africa

Malaria disproportionately affects young children. Clinical trials in African children showed that dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine (DP) is an effective antimalarial and has a longer posttreatment prophylactic (PTP) effect against reinfections than other artemisinin-based combination therapies, including artemether-lumefantrine (AL). Using a previously developed Markov model and individual patient data from a multicenter African drug efficacy trial, we assessed the economic value of the PTP effect of DP versus AL in pediatric malaria patients from health-care provider's perspective in low-to-moderate and moderate-to-high transmission settings under different drug co-payment scenarios. In low-to-moderate transmission settings, first-line treatment with DP was highly cost-effective with an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of US$5 (95% confidence interval [CI] = -76 to 196) per disability-adjusted life year (DALY) averted. In moderate-to-high transmission settings, DP first-line treatment led to a mean cost saving of US$1.09 (95% CI = -0.88 to 3.85) and averted 0.05 (95% CI = -0.08 to 0.22) DALYs per child per year. Our results suggested that DP might be superior to AL for first-line treatment of uncomplicated childhood malaria across a range of transmission settings in Africa.