Nayyereh Ayati; Lora Fleifel; Shahdak Sharifi; Mohammad Sahraian; Shekoufeh Nikfar
Abstract
Background: Cladribine tablets are the foremost oral immune-reconstitution therapy for high disease activity relapsing multiple sclerosis (HDA-RMS). We aimed to assess the cost-effectiveness of cladribine tablets compared to natalizumab in patients with HDA-RMS in Iran. Methods: A 5-year cohort-based ...
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Background: Cladribine tablets are the foremost oral immune-reconstitution therapy for high disease activity relapsing multiple sclerosis (HDA-RMS). We aimed to assess the cost-effectiveness of cladribine tablets compared to natalizumab in patients with HDA-RMS in Iran. Methods: A 5-year cohort-based Markov model was developed with 11 expanded disability status score (EDSS) health states, including patients with HDA-RMS as on and off-treatment. All costs were identified from the literature and expert opinion and were measured in Iranian Rial rates, changed to the 2020 USD rate and were discounted by 7.2%. Quality adjusted life years (QALY), discounted by 3.5%, and life years gained (LYG) were adopted to measure efficacy. The final results were presented as incremental cost-effectiveness ratio that was compared to a national willingness to pay (WTP) threshold of 1 to 3 gross domestic product (GDP) per capita. Deterministic and probabilistic sensitivity analyses (D/PSA) were employed to evaluate uncertainty. Results: Cladribine tablets dominated natalizumab and yielded 6,607 USD cost-saving and 0.003 additional QALYs per patient. LYG was comparable. The main cost component was drug acquisition cost in both arms. DSA indicated the sensitivity of the results to the cost discount rates and also the patients’ body weight; while they were less sensitive to the main clinical variables. PSA indicated that cladribine tablets were cost-effective in Iran, with a probability of 57.5% and 58.6% at lower and higher limits of threshold, respectively. Conclusion: Cladribine tablets yielded higher QALYs and lower costs compared to natalizumab, in patients with HDA-RMS in Iran.
Nayyereh Ayati; Saeed Taheri; Mohammad Ali Sahraian; Shekoufeh Nikfar
Abstract
Background: The current study desired to conduct an economic analysis on ocrelizumab (OCR), a new relapsing multiple sclerosis (RMS) treatment strategy, in comparison to natalizumab (NTL), as one of the mostly-used disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) in Iran. Methods: A 31-health-state Markov model, based ...
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Background: The current study desired to conduct an economic analysis on ocrelizumab (OCR), a new relapsing multiple sclerosis (RMS) treatment strategy, in comparison to natalizumab (NTL), as one of the mostly-used disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) in Iran. Methods: A 31-health-state Markov model, based on Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS), containing patients on- and off-treatment with annual cycles was developed. Baseline demographics and utility scores were extracted from OPERA 1 and 2 trials. Confirmed disability progression (CDP) and annualized relapse rates (ARR) were extracted from the literature. Mortality was calculated based on age, sex, and disease state. Quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) and life years gained (LYG) were measurements of efficacy. Direct and indirect costs were identified and calculated based on the national book of tariffs in Iranian Rial (IRR) rates, then converted to the 2020 United States Dollar (USD). Final results were reported in terms of incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER), which showed extra costs required for one additional QALY. Robustness of the model was analyzed through deterministic sensitivity analysis (DSA) and probabilistic sensitivity analysis (PSA). Results: OCR dominated NTL and was associated with cost-savings of 6971 USD, longer LYG (0.004), and higher QALYs (0.27). Although OCR had higher acquisition costs, which was the main component in both comparator arms, it was associated with lower total costs, due to lower disability progression and productivity loss. Results remained robust in DSA and PSA (93.5% cost-effectiveness in Iran’s pharmacoeconomic threshold, 2709 USD). Conclusion: Results suggested that OCR was a more cost-effective option than NTL for the treatment of patients with RMS in Iran.
