Presentation (CTI)

OBJECTIVES: To estimate the potential budget impact and service impact of integrating faricimab into the management of diabetic macular edema (DME) in an Algerian public hospital, compared with current anti-VEGF treatment using aflibercept and ranibizumab.
METHODS: A simulation study was performed using a Service Impact Model adapted to the Algerian hospital context. The model was informed by retrospective real-world evidence from the ophthalmology department of CHU Nedir Mohamed, Tizi Ouzou (Algeria), and compared two scenarios over a three-year time horizon: a baseline scenario based on aflibercept and ranibizumab, and a full-switch scenario integrating faricimab. Outcomes included annual consultations, intravitreal injections, capacity utilization, injection-session weeks released, and direct drug-acquisition costs. Costs were expressed in Algerian dinars (DZD). No discounting was applied.
RESULTS: Compared with baseline, faricimab integration reduced annual consultations by 345 in year 1, 788 in year 2, and 726 in year 3, corresponding to reductions of 8%, 26%, and 36%, respectively. Annual injection demand decreased by 1,121, 1,579, and 1,342 injections over years 1, 2, and 3. Injection capacity utilization decreased from 134%, 103%, and 88% at baseline to 98%, 53%, and 45% with faricimab. The model estimated that 18, 26, and 22 weeks of injection sessions could be released annually. Drug-acquisition costs decreased from 217,519,000, 167,504,000, and 142,945,000 DZD at baseline to 181,453,907, 97,719,509, and 83,734,397 DZD with faricimab, generating cumulative savings of approximately 165 million DZD over three years.
CONCLUSIONS: In this simulated Algerian hospital setting, faricimab was associated with lower injection demand, reduced consultation burden, improved service capacity, and a favorable drug-acquisition budget impact. These findings suggest that longer-acting therapies may support more efficient resource allocation in DME care.