ANALYSING THE EVOLUTION OF CANCER DRUG PRICES IN FRANCE SINCE 2000
Author(s)
Peirone V1, Toueg R2, Houzelot D1, de Paz B1
1PRIORITIS Market Access, Paris, France, 2Paris Descartes University, MALAKOFF, France
OBJECTIVES: In the last couple of years, drugs prices have become a recurring subject of conversation in the world of healthcare. Using the Prismaccess HTA and pricing database, our aim was to investigate the evolution of drug prices in oncology in France since 2000 and interpret the data. METHODS: We examined cancer drugs evaluated by the Transparency Commission since 2000 with an ASMR I, II and III, which represent significant progress compared to their relevant comparator (ASMR IV and V representing marginal and no added benefit respectively). The price history of each product has been extracted from the database, along with their patient population and other key parameters. We have calculated the annual treatment costs of these oncology drugs based on their Summary of Product Characteristics dosage for their main indication. We have excluded orphan drugs due to the bias associated with the small target population that they represent and the very high prices that are negotiated for them. RESULTS: Our results (n=28) show that there has been a slow but steady increase in treatment costs from 2000 until 2011. Beyond that point, annual costs per treatment in the 2012 – 2015 period were double from that of the 2008 – 2011 period. This could be explained by major medical advances, where innovative therapies are designed towards recently discovered biological targets, thereby restricting the number of patients eligible for such drugs, which in turn favors high drug prices. CONCLUSIONS: Drug prices in France are fixed according to the target population and added benefits compared to comparators (captured by the ASMR). The notably high costs observed in the 2012 – 2015 period could be explained by more innovative drugs with smaller target populations, as opposed to the previous 10 years in France, marked by drugs with small added benefits.
Conference/Value in Health Info
2016-10, ISPOR Europe 2016, Vienna, Austria
Value in Health, Vol. 19, No. 7 (November 2016)
Code
PCN113
Topic
Economic Evaluation
Topic Subcategory
Cost/Cost of Illness/Resource Use Studies
Disease
Oncology