Transplanting HCV-Infected Livers into Uninfected Recipients: Is It Cost-Effective?

Emerging evidence shows that direct-acting antiviral agents (DAAs) are effective in eradicating hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection post–liver transplantation. This has made it feasible to consider transplantation of HCV-infected donor livers into uninfected recipients followed by subsequent treatment with a DAA regimen. However, the high cost of DAAs needs to be considered.

To assess the cost-effectiveness of this treatment approach, researchers used a validated mathematical model to compare the clinical and economic outcomes in two hypothetical scenarios. In the first scenario, HCV-negative patients were willing to accept only HCV-negative livers; in the second, they were willing to take either an HCV-positive or HCV-negative liver. Those re…