Onchocerciasis, lymphatic filariasis, soil transmitted helminthiasis, and schistosomiasis: integration and economic evaluation of mass drug administration using ivermectin, albendazole, and praziquantel

• Main Author: Evans, Darin S.
• Language: en_US
• Published: Boston University 2015
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/2144/12756

Thesis (Dr.P.H.)--Boston University PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis or dissertation. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at [e-mail]. Thank you. === The recently classified neglected tropical diseases (NTD), -- onchocerciasis, lymphatic filariasis, schistosomiasis, and soil-transmitted helminthiasis -- are all coendemic in Nigeria. The World Health Organization recommended strategy for addressing these diseases is preventive chemotherapy through annual mass drug administration (MDA) with ivermectin, albendazole, and praziquantel. Integrated delivery of these medicines has become the de facto strategy advocated for in the literature as a means of reducing costs through shared resources. Little empirical evidence, however, exists to support this. This paper explores these diseases and the concept of integration in the context of the global strategies for their control. A literature review was conducted using PubMed to identify articles published containing any of the disease names and costs. Of the 2,028 articles returned, only 14 published between 1998 and 2011 met the criteria for review. All costs were adjusted for inflation. Overall, the mean cost of MDA by any means was 0.83 cents. No data comparing separate MDA to integrated MDA were found. To examine this, a model was created comparing MDA programs with similar distribution strategies and targeting similar diseases. Data from separate articles presenting stand alone MDA were combined to give a mean cost of 0.42 cents to deliver two medicines in two rounds. This was compared with articles showing integrated MDA, which gave a mean cost of 0.25 cents to deliver two medicines in a single round. This suggests a cost savings of 40 percent. To verify this, data from a NTD program in Nigeria that transitioned to integrated MDA was examined in detail. In 2008, eight districts received a single round of ivermectin with albendazole followed at least 1 week later by a single round of praziquantel to school-aged children. The following year, a single round of all three drugs was co-administered. The number of treated individuals was essentially unchanged during both years (1,301,864 in 2008 and 1,297,509 in 2009). The total programmatic costs for the MDA, not including drug and overhead costs, reduced by 41% from $123,624 to $72,870, similar to savings seen in the literature review. Cost savings were attributed largely to transportation and personnel costs. Integrated delivery of medicines is recommended for mature programs targeting these diseases.