EVALUATING THE CLINICAL AND ECONOMIC IMPACT OF PLASMA PTAU217 TESTING IN THE SWISS ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE DIAGNOSTIC PATHWAY
Author(s)
Sophie Roth, MSc1, Cyrill Wolf, MSc2, Patricia Nigg, PhD2.
1Roche Diagnostics International AG, Rotkreuz Zg, Switzerland, 2Roche Diagnostics (Schweiz) AG, Rotkreuz Zg, Switzerland.
1Roche Diagnostics International AG, Rotkreuz Zg, Switzerland, 2Roche Diagnostics (Schweiz) AG, Rotkreuz Zg, Switzerland.
OBJECTIVES: Growing demand for early Alzheimer's disease (AD) diagnosis due to the predicted rise in AD cases, increasing associated costs and availability of disease-modifying therapies (DMTs), necessitates efficient diagnostic pathways. We evaluated the economic impact of integrating plasma pTau217 testing into specialist care in the Swiss healthcare system.
METHODS: A cohort model simulated 1,000 patients across the Swiss diagnostic AD pathway. The Standard of Care (SoC) relies on specialist assessments including magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT) followed by confirmatory cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) or amyloid positron emission tomography (PET) testing. Plasma pTau217 testing indicated high, intermediate and low-likelihood of amyloid pathology in patients. In Scenario 1 intermediate and high-likelihood patients proceeded to confirmatory CSF/PET testing. In Scenario 2 high-likelihood patients bypassed confirmatory testing for direct DMT eligibility evaluation. Low-likelihood patients were excluded from the model. Inputs were derived from published literature, local tariff codes and expert interviews.
RESULTS: Compared to SoC, both scenarios reduced the calendar time to a correct AD diagnosis by up to 28%. Diagnostic pathway costs decreased by 5% in Scenario 1 and 18% in Scenario 2. Scenario 1 increased overall CSF/PET testing volume by 43%, which led to a 62% increase in AD-positive patients receiving timely diagnosis and treatment (273.3 vs. 168.7 per 1,000 patients). In Scenario 2, bypassing confirmation for high-likelihood patients reduced CSF/PET volume by 54% and increased timely treated patients by 75% (295.1). In both scenarios cost per timely and correct AD diagnosis decreased by 41% compared to SoC.
CONCLUSIONS: Integrating plasma pTau217 testing into Swiss specialist care accelerated diagnosis and reduced overall diagnostic costs. Scenario 1 improved timely and accurate diagnoses, whereas scenario 2 substantially reduced system bottlenecks, confirmatory test volumes, and time to diagnosis, highlighting plasma pTau217’s potential to optimize capacity and patient outcomes.
METHODS: A cohort model simulated 1,000 patients across the Swiss diagnostic AD pathway. The Standard of Care (SoC) relies on specialist assessments including magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT) followed by confirmatory cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) or amyloid positron emission tomography (PET) testing. Plasma pTau217 testing indicated high, intermediate and low-likelihood of amyloid pathology in patients. In Scenario 1 intermediate and high-likelihood patients proceeded to confirmatory CSF/PET testing. In Scenario 2 high-likelihood patients bypassed confirmatory testing for direct DMT eligibility evaluation. Low-likelihood patients were excluded from the model. Inputs were derived from published literature, local tariff codes and expert interviews.
RESULTS: Compared to SoC, both scenarios reduced the calendar time to a correct AD diagnosis by up to 28%. Diagnostic pathway costs decreased by 5% in Scenario 1 and 18% in Scenario 2. Scenario 1 increased overall CSF/PET testing volume by 43%, which led to a 62% increase in AD-positive patients receiving timely diagnosis and treatment (273.3 vs. 168.7 per 1,000 patients). In Scenario 2, bypassing confirmation for high-likelihood patients reduced CSF/PET volume by 54% and increased timely treated patients by 75% (295.1). In both scenarios cost per timely and correct AD diagnosis decreased by 41% compared to SoC.
CONCLUSIONS: Integrating plasma pTau217 testing into Swiss specialist care accelerated diagnosis and reduced overall diagnostic costs. Scenario 1 improved timely and accurate diagnoses, whereas scenario 2 substantially reduced system bottlenecks, confirmatory test volumes, and time to diagnosis, highlighting plasma pTau217’s potential to optimize capacity and patient outcomes.
Conference/Value in Health Info
2026-11, ISPOR Europe 2026, Vienna, Austria
Value in Health, Volume 29, Issue 12S
Code
EE512
Topic
Economic Evaluation, Medical Technologies, Methodological & Statistical Research
Topic Subcategory
Budget Impact Analysis
Disease
Geriatrics, Neurological Disorders