IMPACT OF ALLERGEN IMMUNOTHERAPY ON SYMPTOM-FREE DAYS AND HEALTH CARE COSTS IN PATIENTS WITH GRASS POLLEN-INDUCED ALLERGIC RHINITIS IN GERMANY
Author(s)
Najib M1, Westerhout KY2, Verheggen B2, Schreder CH3
1Stallergenes, Antony, France, 2Pharmerit International, Rotterdam, The Netherlands, 3Stallergenes GmbH, Kamp-Lintfort, Germany
OBJECTIVES A health economic assessment was conducted to determine the relative impact of treatment with Oralair® or Grazax® on clinical effects and healthcare costs in patients with grass pollen-induced allergic rhinitis (AR) in Germany. METHODS The effects of three years of drug treatment on symptom-free days (SFDs) and associated costs were assessed using a health economic Markov model with a nine-year time horizon. The relative efficacy on SFDs was assessed through a network meta-analysis (i.e. indirect comparison) of 4-year, placebo-controlled, clinical trial data. Costs associated with drug treatment and other healthcare resources, including Statutory Health Insurance payments and patient co-payments, were calculated. The incremental costs and SFDs gained for Oralair® relative to Grazax® were generated accordingly. The uncertainty around the model outcomes was determined by means of sensitivity analyses. RESULTS The base case analysis over 9 years predicts a total of 206.6 discounted SFDs for Oralair® relative to 205.1 for Grazax®, thus resulting in 1.5 (95%CI: -25.0; 29.3) additional SFDs gained with Oralair®® and Grazax®, respectively, with incremental costs predicted at -€1,272 (95%CI: -€1,530; -€999). Hence, Oralair® may be classified as the dominant strategy, as additional effects are combined with considerable cost savings. The sensitivity analyses suggest that results were mostly driven by drug-specific clinical effects on SFD, inputs for immunotherapy discontinuation, and length of the pollen season The predicted cost savings were driven by the difference in treatment costs. CONCLUSIONS Oralair® is cost-effective relative to Grazax ®in patients with grass pollen-induced AR in Germany. Findings are confirmed by extensive sensitivity analyses.
Conference/Value in Health Info
2014-11, ISPOR Europe 2014, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Value in Health, Vol. 17, No. 7 (November 2014)
Code
PRS52
Topic
Economic Evaluation
Topic Subcategory
Cost-comparison, Effectiveness, Utility, Benefit Analysis
Disease
Respiratory-Related Disorders