Health Economic Evaluations of Neglected Tropical Diseases: A Scoping Review
Year: 2026
Type: article
Study design: Systematic Review
Abstract: Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) contribute to health and socioeconomic burdens on vulnerable populations, yet economic evidence across the full range of NTDs remains fragmented. This scoping review maps the global landscape of economic evaluations for all NTDs included in the World Health Organization’s classification, focusing on evidence distribution, methodological limitations, and under-reporting of parameters relevant to health technology assessment and policy-making. Searches were conducted in MEDLINE, Embase, and the Virtual Health Library up to February 2026. The review included 260 evaluations from 95 countries. Publications increased over time, but evidence remained concentrated in upper-middle- and lower-middle-income countries. Only 25 studies (9.6%) focused exclusively on low-income countries. Parasitic diseases accounted for 53.5% of evaluations, followed by viral diseases (34.2%). Prevention was the most frequently assessed intervention type (50.4%). Cost-utility and cost-effectiveness analyses predominated, and disability-adjusted life years and incremental cost-effectiveness ratios were commonly reported. However, quality reporting was often incomplete: sensitivity analyses were unspecified in 90 studies, and only 16 reported using a methodological or reporting checklist. Although sensitivity analyses were reported in most studies (65.4%), limitations were identified in reporting transparency, particularly regarding probabilistic sensitivity analysis. Overall, persistent geographic and income-related imbalances and reporting gaps highlight the need for context-specific evaluations in low-income settings for equitable resource allocation and NTD policy-making.
Language: English
Subfield: Economics and Econometrics
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,258
OpenAlex ID: W7211956262