OBJECTIVES: To conduct a cost-minimization analysis comparing 1-year incremental costs of the fixed-dose triple combination of budesonide/glycopyrronium/formoterol fumarate 320/14.4/10 µg (BGF 320) versus open triple therapy (OTT) for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in the United Kingdom.

METHODS: Total costs incurred by patients with moderate-to-very severe COPD were extrapolated using a Markov model, which considered disease severity progression and the occurrence of moderate/severe exacerbations from the ETHOS study (NCT02465567). A recently published network meta-analysis showed comparable efficacy and safety among triple therapies, including BGF 320 (Bourdin et al. Adv Ther 2021;38:3089–3112), so identical exacerbation rates, disease progression, and discontinuation were assumed between BGF 320 and OTT. Drug costs were obtained from the British National Formulary; OTT costs were estimated by adding the weighted averages of inhaled corticosteroid/long-acting ꞵ2-agonist and long-acting muscarinic antagonist therapies. Healthcare resource utilization costs were retrieved from the ETHOS study; unit costs were obtained from UK National Health Service reference costs, the Personal Social Services Research Unit, and published literature. The number of patients receiving OTT was quantified to estimate incremental annual costs of receiving BGF 320.

RESULTS: Monthly drug acquisition costs for BGF 320 and OTT were £45.15 and £58.31, respectively. Total 1-year cost savings per patient of £139 were estimated in the main analysis (£1,822 for BGF 320 versus £1,961 for OTT). With an estimated 222,000 UK patients receiving OTT in 2021, annual cost savings of BGF 320 versus OTT were approximately £30.9 million.

CONCLUSIONS: These findings indicate that treatment with fixed-dose triple BGF 320 saves acquisition costs versus OTT in the United Kingdom due to lower acquisition costs.