• Christiaan H Righolt, Gurpreet Pabla, and Salaheddin M Mahmud.
• Department of Community Health Sciences, Vaccine and Drug Evaluation Centre, University of Manitoba, 337-750 McDermot Avenue, Winnipeg, MB, R3E 0T5, Canada.
• Appl Health Econ Health Policy. 2018 Apr 1; 16 (2): 195-205.

BackgroundThe total direct cost of screening and treating all human papillomavirus-related diseases (HPV-RD) has not been measured in a single study. Accurate cost estimates are needed to inform decisions on intervention priorities and evaluate the cost-effectiveness of existing programs. We used province-wide clinical, administrative, and accounting databases to measure direct medical costs of HPV infection in Manitoba (Canada).MethodsAll persons 9 years or older with health insurance coverage in Manitoba between April 2000 and March 2015 were eligible. We identified all persons with an incident HPV-RD and aggregated all medical costs (in 2014 Canadian dollars) related to that condition, including prescription drugs, diagnostic procedures, in-hospital and outpatient treatment, and physician visits.ResultsWe found that the median cost of treating a case of anogenital warts was $130. An episode of cervical dysplasia had a median cost of $220, compared to $1300 for an episode of cervical carcinoma in situ. The cost of treating HPV-related invasive cancer varied from $15,000 for cervical cancer to $33,000 for oral cavity cancer. Overall, 80% ($145 million) of the total cost was attributable to HPV infection. Cervical screening and follow-up accounted for $96 million (66%) of all costs and this cost component has declined following the introduction of new screening guidelines.ConclusionsOverall, the average direct medical cost of HPV infection was $720 per newborn. The economic burden of HPV remains significant, although changes in cervical screening guidelines, prompted by the introduction of a public HPV vaccine program, appear to have promoted a promising trend towards lower costs.

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