OBJECTIVES: Osteoarthritis has been classified as one of the main causes of disability worldwide. Viscosupplementation treatment is an alternative to improve patient conditions by delaying the need for a knee replacement. This study aims to estimate the clinical and economic impact of viscosupplementation with hylan G-F 20 versus hyaluronic acids in knee osteoarthrosis treatment, with knee replacement delay as the main outcome of interest.

METHODS: An economic model was developed from the Colombian healthcare system perspective over a 5-year time horizon, comparing hylan G-F 20 versus hyaluronic acids, for a hypothetical cohort of 10,000 patients. Time until knee replacement for the different technologies was obtained from published literature. The model includes the acquisition, administration, and knee replacement surgery costs, extracted from the local drug prices database (SISMED) and official databases published by the Colombian Ministry of Health. Costs are expressed in USD using an exchange rate of USD$ 1 to COP$ 4,276.59.

RESULTS: The use of hylan G-F 20 for 5 years has an associated total cost of USD $45,188,523 compared to USD$ 50,247,826 for hyaluronic acid, generating a cost reduction of USD$ 5,059,303 (10%). In addition, hylan G-F 20 produces 39,400 years free of total knee replacement compared to 30,741 produced by hyaluronic acid. Likewise, the accumulated costs per patient free of surgery oscillated from USD$1,158 during the first year to $6,847 at the end of the fifth year for hylan G-F 20 versus $1,164 to $74,662 for hyaluronic acid, producing savings of around 80% in total costs.

CONCLUSIONS: Viscosupplementation with hylan G-F 20 in patients with knee osteoarthritis reduces costs versus hyaluronic acid, allowing for more free years until knee replacement. Therefore, it is a dominant alternative to include in the management and delay of surgery procedures in the affected population.