Cost-effectiveness analysis of infant feeding modalities for virally suppressed mothers in Canada living with HIV

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to determine whether exclusive breastfeeding or exclusive formula feeding is more cost-effective when a Canadian mother with HIV is adherent to antiretroviral therapy and has full virologic suppression. DESIGN: Current Canadian guidelines recommend that mothers with HIV practice exclusive formula feeding. This contradicts the updated World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines which recommend that mothers with HIV should breastfeed for ≥12 months while receiving support for antiretroviral therapy adherence. Due to the economic and health risks and benefits associated with each modality, there remains expert disagreement on whether the WHO recommendations should be adopted in high-income countries. METHODS: A microsimulation model was developed to estimate lifetime costs and effectiveness (i.e., infant's quality-adjusted life years) of a hypothetical group of 1,000,000 initially healthy, HIV-negative infants, if the mother with HIV was on antiretroviral therapy with full virologic suppression and either exclusive breastfeeding or exclusive formula feeding. The model was developed from the economic perspective of the Ontario Ministry of Health, taking into account direct costs associated with infant feeding modality as well as related indirect costs born out of the child's lifetime health outcomes. Uncertainties related to model parameters were evaluated using one-way and probabilistic sensitivity analyses. RESULTS: In comparison to exclusive formula feeding, exclusive breastfeeding was the dominant feeding modality (i.e., less costly and more effective) yielding cost-savings of $13,812 per additional quality-adjusted life year gained. Neither one-way nor probabilistic sensitivity analyses altered the conclusions. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the risk of HIV transmission, exclusive breastfeeding was more cost-effective than exclusive formula feeding. These findings merit review of current infant feeding guidelines for mothers with HIV living in high-income countries.