COST-EFFECTIVENESS OF FINERENONE FOR CHINESE PATIENTS WITH HEART FAILURE AND LEFT VENTRICULAR EJECTION FRACTION (LVEF) =40%
Author(s)
Liping Chen, MSc1, Kerstin Folkerts, MSc2, Chris Lischke, MSc3, Jian Ming, PhD candidate4, Jinfeng Ruan, MSc5, Liuyan Li, MSc4, Meibo Hu, MSc4, Ruiqi Xue, PhD1, Cheng Zhang, MD6.
1Bayer Healthcare, Beijing, China, 2Bayer AG, Wuppertal, Germany, 3Bayer Pharmaceuticals, Berlin, Germany, 4IQVIA, Shanghai, China, 5IQVIA, Beijing, China, 6Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, China.
1Bayer Healthcare, Beijing, China, 2Bayer AG, Wuppertal, Germany, 3Bayer Pharmaceuticals, Berlin, Germany, 4IQVIA, Shanghai, China, 5IQVIA, Beijing, China, 6Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, China.
OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of finerenone plus standard of care (SoC) versus SoC alone for Chinese adults with heart failure and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) ≥40% (HFmrEF/HFpEF).
METHODS: A Markov cost-effectiveness model was developed from the Chinese healthcare system perspective. The population comprised adults aged ≥40 years with NYHA class II-IV heart failure and LVEF ≥40%, consistent with FINEARTS-HF. The model simulated disease progression across NYHA functional classes, heart failure hospitalization, urgent heart failure visits, and death over a lifetime horizon, using 28-day cycles and half-cycle correction. Clinical inputs were derived from FINEARTS-HF, with costs and resource use informed by Chinese sources. Utilities were estimated from EQ-5D-5L data mapped to the Chinese value set. Direct medical costs included drug acquisition, routine management, heart failure events, adverse events, and death-related costs. Costs and outcomes were discounted at 4.5% annually. The willingness-to-pay threshold was set at CNY99,665/QALY, equivalent to one times China’s 2025 GDP per-capita. Deterministic, one-way, probabilistic, and scenario analyses were conducted.
RESULTS: Finerenone plus SoC generated higher total costs than SoC alone (CNY204,990 vs CNY190,764) and greater health benefits (7.04 vs 6.67 QALYs), resulting in an ICER of CNY37,837/QALY, well below the assumed WTP threshold. Cost offsets were primarily driven by reductions in heart failure hospitalizations, urgent visits, and deaths. QALY gains were mainly attributable to increased time spent in NYHA class II and reduced heart failure hospitalizations and deaths. At the willingness-to-pay threshold, probabilistic sensitivity analysis indicated a 91% probability of cost-effectiveness. Scenario analyses across 10-, 20-, and 30-year horizons supported the robustness of results.
CONCLUSIONS: From the Chinese healthcare system perspective, finerenone plus SoC for HFmrEF and HFpEF is cost-effective compared with SoC alone, driven by improved health outcomes despite higher upfront costs. These findings provide evidence to inform healthcare decision-making in China.
METHODS: A Markov cost-effectiveness model was developed from the Chinese healthcare system perspective. The population comprised adults aged ≥40 years with NYHA class II-IV heart failure and LVEF ≥40%, consistent with FINEARTS-HF. The model simulated disease progression across NYHA functional classes, heart failure hospitalization, urgent heart failure visits, and death over a lifetime horizon, using 28-day cycles and half-cycle correction. Clinical inputs were derived from FINEARTS-HF, with costs and resource use informed by Chinese sources. Utilities were estimated from EQ-5D-5L data mapped to the Chinese value set. Direct medical costs included drug acquisition, routine management, heart failure events, adverse events, and death-related costs. Costs and outcomes were discounted at 4.5% annually. The willingness-to-pay threshold was set at CNY99,665/QALY, equivalent to one times China’s 2025 GDP per-capita. Deterministic, one-way, probabilistic, and scenario analyses were conducted.
RESULTS: Finerenone plus SoC generated higher total costs than SoC alone (CNY204,990 vs CNY190,764) and greater health benefits (7.04 vs 6.67 QALYs), resulting in an ICER of CNY37,837/QALY, well below the assumed WTP threshold. Cost offsets were primarily driven by reductions in heart failure hospitalizations, urgent visits, and deaths. QALY gains were mainly attributable to increased time spent in NYHA class II and reduced heart failure hospitalizations and deaths. At the willingness-to-pay threshold, probabilistic sensitivity analysis indicated a 91% probability of cost-effectiveness. Scenario analyses across 10-, 20-, and 30-year horizons supported the robustness of results.
CONCLUSIONS: From the Chinese healthcare system perspective, finerenone plus SoC for HFmrEF and HFpEF is cost-effective compared with SoC alone, driven by improved health outcomes despite higher upfront costs. These findings provide evidence to inform healthcare decision-making in China.
Conference/Value in Health Info
2026-11, ISPOR Europe 2026, Vienna, Austria
Value in Health, Volume 29, Issue 12S
Code
EE312
Topic
Clinical Outcomes, Economic Evaluation, Health Technology Assessment
Topic Subcategory
Thresholds & Opportunity Cost
Disease
Cardiovascular Disorders (including MI, Stroke, Circulatory), No Additional Disease & Conditions/Specialized Treatment Areas