Study Recommends Cystic Fibrosis Screening for Newborns

Newborn screening for cystic fibrosis is associated with clinical benefit and reduced treatment needs compared with clinical diagnosis, according to an article in the April 7 issue of The Lancet.

The study found the cost of therapy for patients diagnosed by newborn screening was significantly lower than equivalent therapies for clinically diagnosed patients.

The authors concluded that, including indirect cost savings, newborn screening for cystic fibrosis might have even greater financial benefits than the study's estimate shows. "Clinical, social and now economic evidence suggests that newborn screening programs for cystic fibrosis should be adopted internationally," they added.

The study used the UK Cystic Fibrosis Database to conduct a "cost of illness retrospective snapshot cohort study."