OBJECTIVES: To estimate the financial impact of the decision to incorporate the drug cladribine for the highly active RRMS treatment, in a health insurance company in Brazil, in 5 years.

METHODS: The construction of the impact follow-up calculation is premised on obtaining the following variables: number of lives under care (customers), prevalence, incidence, average weight and medication cost. Once the variables were defined, the data were obtained as follows – 1) Number of lives: internal database; 2) Prevalence, incidence and weight: data extracted from published studies and the national government epidemiological database regarding the disease in question; 3) Drug cost: data extracted from the national government reference table regarding the 10mg presentation. In possession of all the information, the calculation of the estimate considered a time horizon of 5 years.

RESULTS: By the year of 2027, in a portfolio of 550,000 customers, approximately 20 patients will be diagnosed with this disease. This number corresponds to an average of 4 new patients per year. Knowing that the cost of the medication in question at a usual dosage of 10mg is US$2,190.55 and that a patient weighing 69kg will use 12 presentations/year, the annual cost per patient will be US$26,286.62. Based on these numbers and following the 2-year therapeutic proposal as stipulated in the drug description leaflet, in 5 years, the financial impact will be US$525,732.40.

CONCLUSIONS: The high cost observed, makes it difficult to accept the incorporation before real life studies and comparisons with other therapies can be part of this algorithm. Studies with an economic perspective make this kind of decision much more assertive and should be routinely used in the incorporation of new technologies, given the high number of new technologies offered and the high costs associated with them.