Table 3.

Undiscounted cost of treatment in € (base case analysis). All treatments were for 48 weeks using the following stop criteria: stop antiviral therapy if viral positive after 24 weeks of treatment

	No antiviral treatment	Interferon plus ribavirin	Peginterferon plus fixed ribavirin	Peginterferon plus weight based ribavirin*
Cost of antiviral drugs†
Interferon α-2b		3324	—	—
Peginterferon α-2b		—	8029	8185
Ribavirin		6508	5056	6295
Total cost of antiviral drugs		9832	13 085	14 480
Initiation of treatment costs‡		473	473	473
Office visits+laboratory testing§		483	546	557
Reproductive services¶		411	424	428
Total treatment related cost		11 199	14 528	15 938
Total lifetime cost including treatment of future complications (rounded values)	25 500	25 900	27 600	27 400

*The amount of peginterferon and ribavirin used in the subgroup receiving >10.6 mg/kg ribavirin was increased to match the weight distribution in the entire peginterferon plus fixed ribavirin treatment arm (that is, peginterferon doses were identical and ribavirin capsule use in the subgroup were multiplied by 1.26).

†Based on the actual dosages administered in the trial (including dose reductions and discontinuations for side effects or for absence of viral response after 24 weeks).

‡Includes pre-therapeutic diagnostics (pregnancy test, quantitative HCV-RNA, thyroid stimulating hormone, thyroxine, liver biopsy), and partial inpatient cost for initiation of treatment.

§Includes office visits and laboratory tests for routine visits and adverse events as well as periodic thyroid stimulating hormone, thyroxine, and qualitative HCV-RNA.

¶Includes pregnancy tests, condoms, hormone contraception, and elective abortions.