Evaluating the centralized purchasing policy for the treatment of hepatitis C: The Colombian CASE.

ABSTRACT: The high cost of drugs for hepatitis C limits access and adherence to treatment. In 2017, the Colombian health care system decided to design a strategy. It consisted of centralized purchasing, regulations, clinical practice guidelines, and direct observation of the treatment and follow-up of patients. The main objective of this study was to assess the centralized purchasing strategy in Colombia. The study design was a policy implementation assessment. We analyzed the change in prices, the clinical outcomes, and the opinions of stakeholders using data from the Ministry of Health. Additional information about effectiveness came from the Colombian Fund for High-Cost Diseases and semi-structured interviews of the stakeholders. The follow-up was from October, 2017 to October, 2018. The total nu

SUBMITTER: Perez AV 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6902741 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature