COST SAVINGS ASSOCIATED WITH THE INTRODUCTION OF SUBCUTANEOUS VERSUS INTRAVENOUS PEMBROLIZUMAB IN GREECE
Author(s)
Evangelos Zormpas, PhD1, ANASTASIOS SKROUMPELOS, PhD1, Ying Xiao, PhD2, Dzhumber Ugrekhelidze, PharmD, PhD3, Shalini Kumari, MSc4, Antonis Karokis, MSc1.
1MSD, Athens, Greece, 2MSD, London, United Kingdom, 3MSD Switzerland, Horgen, Switzerland, 4Peritia, Morisville, NC, USA.
1MSD, Athens, Greece, 2MSD, London, United Kingdom, 3MSD Switzerland, Horgen, Switzerland, 4Peritia, Morisville, NC, USA.
OBJECTIVES: Immunotherapy offers important benefits including improvements in long-term survival rates for cancer patients. As of June 2026, intravenous pembrolizumab (Pembro IV) is the most widely approved PD-(L)1 inhibitor in oncology with 34 EMA -approved indications. The MK3475A-D77 trial demonstrated pharmacokinetic non-inferiority of subcutaneous pembrolizumab (Pembro SC) (Pembrolizumab with berahyaluronidase alfa [MK-5180]) versus IV, supporting equivalent clinical efficacy. This study aimed to assess cost savings from introducing Pembro SC as an alternative to Pembro IV across eligible indications in Greece.
METHODS: A cost minimization model (CMM) was developed to evaluate average costs per patient of introducing Pembro SC versus IV, from healthcare and societal perspectives. Direct costs included drug administration, healthcare personnel time for treatment preparation and administration, and consumables. Indirect costs related to productivity loss were also estimated.
RESULTS: The CMM demonstrated that Pembro SC led to administration cost savings of € 1,007 per patient over 1-year time horizon, driven by a 92.0% decrease in total direct costs relative to IV. Direct drug administration costs were reduced by 98.8%, from €508 for IV to €6 with SC. Other direct costs fell by 86.0%, from €587 for IV to €82 with Pembro SC. From a societal perspective, Pembro SC resulted in a 52.6% reduction in indirect costs, decreasing from €105 for IV to €55 with Pembro SC. Probabilistic and one-way sensitivity analyses confirmed robustness of results. Savings generated per patient treated with Pembro SC could fund treatment for an additional 0.84 patients.
CONCLUSIONS: From both healthcare and societal perspectives, Pembro SC was associated with substantial direct and indirect cost savings compared with Pembro IV. Furthermore, Pembro SC optimized healthcare resource utilization and may facilitate increased treatment capacity.
METHODS: A cost minimization model (CMM) was developed to evaluate average costs per patient of introducing Pembro SC versus IV, from healthcare and societal perspectives. Direct costs included drug administration, healthcare personnel time for treatment preparation and administration, and consumables. Indirect costs related to productivity loss were also estimated.
RESULTS: The CMM demonstrated that Pembro SC led to administration cost savings of € 1,007 per patient over 1-year time horizon, driven by a 92.0% decrease in total direct costs relative to IV. Direct drug administration costs were reduced by 98.8%, from €508 for IV to €6 with SC. Other direct costs fell by 86.0%, from €587 for IV to €82 with Pembro SC. From a societal perspective, Pembro SC resulted in a 52.6% reduction in indirect costs, decreasing from €105 for IV to €55 with Pembro SC. Probabilistic and one-way sensitivity analyses confirmed robustness of results. Savings generated per patient treated with Pembro SC could fund treatment for an additional 0.84 patients.
CONCLUSIONS: From both healthcare and societal perspectives, Pembro SC was associated with substantial direct and indirect cost savings compared with Pembro IV. Furthermore, Pembro SC optimized healthcare resource utilization and may facilitate increased treatment capacity.
Conference/Value in Health Info
2026-11, ISPOR Europe 2026, Vienna, Austria
Value in Health, Volume 29, Issue 12S
Code
EE681
Topic
Economic Evaluation, Health Service Delivery & Process of Care, Health Technology Assessment
Topic Subcategory
Cost/Cost of Illness/Resource Use Studies
Disease
Oncology