OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the economic consequences following the introduction of trifluridine and tipiracil hydrochloride(FTD/TPI) in the Greek market for the treatment of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer(mCRC) who have been previously treated with, or are not considered candidates for available therapies including fluoropyrimidine-, oxaliplatin- and irinotecan-based chemotherapies, anti-vascular endothelial growth factor agents and anti-epidermal growth factor receptor agents.

METHODS: A budget impact model was adapted from a third-party payer perspective (EOPYY) over a 5-year time horizon (2017-2021) to estimate the financial impact of FTD/TPI taking market shares from regorafenib. Based on local experts, regorafenib is a treatment alternative to FTD/TPI. In the scenario that FTD/TPI is not on the Greek market, it was assumed that all patients were treated with regorafenib instead of best supportive care. The number of eligible patients was estimated from local experts and published literature, the projected uptake of FTD/TPI was provided by Servier Hellas, the progression free survival and overall survival was obtained from relevant published studies and the healthcare resource unit costs as retrieved from officially published sources (prices for 2017 in euros) were considered as input in the analysis. The model measured outcome was incremental budget impact from the introduction of FTD/TPI as a treatment option in the patients with mCRC.

RESULTS: Over the 5-year horizon, the total number of eligible Greek patients was 368 and the number of patients who received FTD/TPI was 74, 130, 183, 199, 205 in years 1 to 5, respectively. The introduction of FTD/TPI led to annual cost savings versus regorafenib of €30,788, €73,414, €115,531, €133,413 and €141,462 from years 1 to 5, respectively, resulting in a total 5-year cost savings of €494,609.

CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that the introduction of FTD/TPI in the treatment of patients with mCRC may be cost saving over the next 5 years for the Greek payer.