BCN HEALTH publishes a study estimating the cost of thalassaemia care across the world

BCN HEALTH has published the study ‘Estimating the cost of thalassaemia care across the world: A Thalassaemia International Federation model’ in the journal ‘Hemoglobin’, an international journal publishing rigorously peer-reviewed articles on several aspects of hemoglobin and blood -related disorders.

BCN HEALTH developed a globally applicable cost model for thalassaemia care. The objective of this study was to obtain a globally applicable model that calculates total annual cost of thalassaemia care based on existing evidence. 

A three-step approach was followed including (i) a targeted literature review to identify previous cost-of-illness studies on thalassaemia; (ii) a generic model development based on the main determinants of cost in different countries emerged from literature review and validated by a team of medical experts; (iii) a piloting of the model using data from two diverse countries. The literature review revealed studies focusing on the total costs of thalassaemia care or the cost or cost-effectiveness of specific treatment or prevention modalities in high- and low-prevalence countries across the world. The resulting evidence was used to build a model that calculates total annual therapy cost based on entry of country-level and patient-level data and data on healthcare modalities, indirect costs, and prevention. Testing the model using published data from the United Kingdom (UK) and the Islamic Republic of Iran revealed an annual cost of 81,796 GBP for UK and 18,777 IRR (equal to 9,951.20 GBP) for Iran, both estimations being consistent with existing evidence.

More information can be found at https://thalassaemia.org.cy/download/chapter-9-estimating-the-cost-of-thalassaemia-care/