Event Details

PHO Rounds: Bridging Hepatitis C Care Gaps: A Modeling Approach for Achieving WHO Hepatitis C Elimination Targets in Ontario, Canada

The World Health Organization (WHO) has set hepatitis C virus (HCV) elimination targets for 2030. To support progress in Ontario, Canada, the speakers identified service scale-up needs across the HCV care cascade. Quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) and healthcare costs were projected under different scenarios, using a decision model in which increasing RNA testing and treatment uptake to 98%, then doubling antibody testing, led to a 57% reduction in liver-related mortality by 2030. This approach falls short of the WHO's 65% target but achieves the target by 2035. This intervention was cost-effective if annual implementation costs remained below 2.3 million per 100,000 population. Doubling the antibody testing rates, along with increased RNA testing and treatment rates, showed promise in meeting the elimination goals.

This PHO Rounds will discuss the model, findings, and explore how this analysis can be adapted by the Ontario Health Technology Advisory Committee (OHTAC) to inform decision-making on population-based HCV elimination strategies.

Presenter(s): Yeva Sahakyan, Beate Sander, HongAnh Tu

Yeva Sahakyan, MS, MPH, MD is a Scientific Associate at University Health Network (UHN), Toronto, Canada. Dr. Sahakyan’s areas of expertise include health economic evaluation, decision modeling and statistical analyses. Her current research focuses on economic evaluation of infectious diseases such as chronic hepatitis C and COVID-19. Dr. Sahakyan received her medical degree from Yerevan State Medical University. She holds a Master of Science degree in Biostatistics from the University of Toronto and a Master of Public Health from the American University of Armenia. See Dr. Sahakyan's publications in Pubmed.

Beate Sander, RN, MBA, MEcDev, PhD holds a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Economics of Infectious Diseases and is a Senior Scientist at UHN, where she chairs the Collaborative Centre for Health Systems & Policy Research. She is a Professor at the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (IHPME), University of Toronto and holds appointments as Adjunct Senior Scientist at ICES, and Adjunct Scientist at Public Health Ontario. Dr. Sander is an internationally recognized leader in infectious disease economics with extensive expertise in health economics and simulation modeling. She is a member of several federal expert advisory committees and Past President of the Society for Medical Decision Making.

HongAnh Tu, MSc, PhD is a health economist at Ontario Health with extensive experience conducting health technology assessments to inform funding decisions. She brings a strong background in economic modeling, including cost-effectiveness and budget impact analyses across a range of clinical areas. Prior to this role, Hong Anh Tu was a Post-doctoral Fellow in Health Economics at the University of Toronto, where she worked under the supervision of Dr. Sander on a cost-effectiveness analysis of meningococcal serogroup B vaccination in Canada. Hong Anh Tu holds a Ph.D. in Health Economics from the University of Groningen.

Disclaimer

The opinions expressed by speakers and moderators do not necessarily reflect the official policies or views of Public Health Ontario, nor does the mention of trade names, commercial practices, or organizations imply endorsement by Public Health Ontario.

Accreditation

Public Health Ontario Roundsare a self-approved group learning activity (Section 1) as defined by the Maintenance of Certification Program of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC).

Other colleges, including the College of Family Physicians of Canada, Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario and the Canadian Institute of Public Health Inspectors, may accept RCPSC accredited events on a per-hour basis. Please contact your relevant college should you have any questions.

In order to receive written documentation for Continuing Medical Education (CME) credits, please check "Yes" beside the question "Do you require CME credits?" on the registration form.

For more information or for a record of registration for other Continuing Education purposes, please contact capacitybuilding@oahpp.ca.

Accessibility

Public Health Ontario is committed to complying with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA). If you require accommodations to participate in this event, please contact 647-260-7100 or capacitybuilding@oahpp.ca.