Trends in Costs for HIV Care During a Hepatitis C Virus Early Treatment and Elimination Program: A Data Linkage Study of Claims and Swiss HIV Cohort Study Data - Report - MDSpire

Trends in Costs for HIV Care During a Hepatitis C Virus Early Treatment and Elimination Program: A Data Linkage Study of Claims and Swiss HIV Cohort Study Data

  • By

  • Soheila Aghlmandi

  • Kurt Schmidlin

  • Carola Huber

  • Pascal Godet

  • Katharina Kusejko

  • Marcel Stoeckle

  • Matthias Cavassini

  • Huldrych F Günthard

  • Enos Bernasconi

  • Alexandra Calmy

  • Patrick Schmid

  • Cornelia Staehelin

  • Niklaus D Labhardt

  • Heiner C Bucher

  • Swiss HIV Cohort Study

  • I Abela

  • K Aebi-Popp

  • A Anagnostopoulos

  • M Battegay

  • E Bernasconi

  • D L Braun

  • H C Bucher

  • A Calmy

  • M Cavassini

  • A Ciuffi

  • G Dollenmaier

  • M Egger

  • L Elzi

  • J Fehr

  • J Fellay

  • H Furrer

  • C A Fux

  • H F Günthard

  • A Hachfeld

  • D Haerry

  • B Hasse

  • H H Hirsch

  • M Hoffmann

  • I Hösli

  • M Huber

  • C R Kahlert

  • L Kaiser

  • O Keiser

  • T Klimkait

  • R D Kouyos

  • H Kovari

  • K Kusejko

  • G Martinetti

  • B Martinez de Tejada

  • C Marzolini

  • K J Metzner

  • N Müller

  • J Nemeth

  • D Nicca

  • P Paioni

  • G Pantaleo

  • M Perreau

  • A Rauch

  • P Schmid

  • R Speck

  • M Stöckle

  • P Tarr

  • A Trkola

  • G Wandeler

  • S Yerly

  • July 16, 2025

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Healthcare Costs in HIV Management Amid Early HCV DAA Treatment in Switzerland

Overview

This study analyzed healthcare expenditures for people with HIV (PWH) in Switzerland from 2012 to 2017, focusing on the impact of direct-acting agents (DAAs) for hepatitis C virus (HCV) treatment. Overall costs remained stable with a slight increase, ART costs decreased, hospitalization costs rose, and DAA treatment contributed marginally to total costs despite high individual expense.

Background

Switzerland provides universal healthcare coverage through mandatory private insurance, but lacks unique patient identifiers complicating cost analyses. The Swiss HIV Cohort Study (SHCS) tracks PWH receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART), covering a majority of treated individuals. The introduction of DAAs for chronic HCV treatment in coinfected PWH began in 2014, representing a breakthrough innovation with potential cost implications. This study linked SHCS data with insurer claims to evaluate trends and drivers of healthcare costs over five years.

Data Highlights

YearMean Annual Overall Cost (CHF)Mean Annual ART Cost (CHF)Mean Annual Hospitalization Cost (CHF)Mean DAA Cost per Coinfected Patient (CHF)
201224,713 (SD 14,107)Majority of overall costs (decreasing over time)8,727 (SD 10,473)NA
201724,881 (SD 14,523)Decreased compared to 20129,406 (SD 9,696)52,647 (95% CI 50,862–54,431)

Key Findings

  • The mean adjusted annual overall healthcare cost for PWH was approximately CHF 24,700 in 2012, increasing slightly by 1.2% to CHF 24,881 in 2017.
  • ART costs constituted the largest portion of overall costs but showed a decreasing trend over the study period.
  • Hospitalization costs increased annually by 7.2%, from CHF 8,727 in 2012 to CHF 9,406 in 2017.
  • Among 171 PWH coinfected with HCV (9.4% of the cohort), mean costs for DAAs were CHF 52,647, representing a significant but marginal contribution to total costs.
  • The linkage of SHCS and insurer claims data enabled detailed cost trend analyses despite challenges in anonymized data integration.

Clinical Implications

Clinicians should be aware that while ART costs are decreasing, hospitalization costs are rising, indicating potential shifts in healthcare resource utilization among PWH. The high individual cost of DAAs for HCV treatment does not substantially increase overall healthcare expenditures at the population level, supporting continued use of these effective therapies in coinfected patients. Integrated data linkage approaches can enhance understanding of cost drivers to inform healthcare planning.

Conclusion

From 2012 to 2017, overall healthcare costs for PWH in Switzerland remained stable with decreasing ART costs offset by rising hospitalization expenses. The introduction of DAAs for HCV treatment, though costly per patient, had a marginal impact on total healthcare expenditures, underscoring their value in coinfection management.

References

  1. Swiss HIV Cohort Study/Various Authors/2021 -- Analysis of Healthcare Expenditures for HIV Management Amid Early Hepatitis C Virus Treatment and Elimination Initiatives

Original Source(s)

Trends in Costs for HIV Care During a Hepatitis C Virus Early Treatment and Elimination Program: A Data Linkage Study of Claims and Swiss HIV Cohort Study Data

  • by Soheila Aghlmandi, Kurt Schmidlin, Carola Huber, Pascal Godet, Katharina Kusejko, Marcel Stoeckle, Matthias Cavassini, Huldrych F Günthard, Enos Bernasconi, Alexandra Calmy, Patrick Schmid, Cornelia Staehelin, Niklaus D Labhardt, Heiner C Bucher, Swiss HIV Cohort Study, I Abela, K Aebi-Popp, A Anagnostopoulos, M Battegay, E Bernasconi, D L Braun, H C Bucher, A Calmy, M Cavassini, A Ciuffi, G Dollenmaier, M Egger, L Elzi, J Fehr, J Fellay, H Furrer, C A Fux, H F Günthard, A Hachfeld, D Haerry, B Hasse, H H Hirsch, M Hoffmann, I Hösli, M Huber, C R Kahlert, L Kaiser, O Keiser, T Klimkait, R D Kouyos, H Kovari, K Kusejko, G Martinetti, B Martinez de Tejada, C Marzolini, K J Metzner, N Müller, J Nemeth, D Nicca, P Paioni, G Pantaleo, M Perreau, A Rauch, P Schmid, R Speck, M Stöckle, P Tarr, A Trkola, G Wandeler, S Yerly

  • July 16, 2025

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