EVALUATION OF A PATIENT ASSISTANCE PROGRAM FOR PEMETREXED AS A MAINTENANCE THERAPY FOR NSCLC IN CHINA
Author(s)
Lu YJ1, Cheng J2, Chen Y2, Lin Z1, Xuan J3
1Shanghai Centennial Scientific Co.,Ltd, Shanghai, China, 2China Primary Health Care Foundation, Shanghai, China, 3Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
OBJECTIVES: The study is to evaluate the costs, clinical and social benefits of a patient assistance program (PAP) implemented by the China Primary Health Care Foundation for the use of pemetrexed in first-line non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) maintenance therapy in China. METHODS: A survival analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 1,366 patients who participated the PAP and treated with pemetrexed from January 1, 2015 to June 30, 2016. The progression free survival (PFS) and median maintenance treatment cycle of pemetrexed were analyzed. A 36-month Markov model from a payer’s perspective was constructed to analyze the cost and effectiveness associated with the PAP for pemetrexed. The inputs of the model were sourced from the PAP clinical data and published literatures. The study estimated the incremental quality adjusted life-years (QALYs) (pemetrexed plus best supportive care (BSC) vs. BSC only), the cost saving of the PAP, and the impact on the percentage of catastrophic medical expenditures (CHE) and poverty headcount ratio (HCR). RESULTS: The median of PFS and treatment cycles were 187 days and 5 cycles (total 9 cycles, which included 4 cycles of induction therapy), respectively. The pemetrexed plus BSC treatment with PAP resulted in an additional 0.16 QALYs over BSC only (0.78 QALYs vs. 0.62 QALYs). The total cost was $56,180 and $79,043 for the patients who have or have not joined the PAP, respectively. Compared to patients without PAP, the percentage of CHE and HCR of PAP was reduced from 95.17% to 71.34% and 80.38% to 44.17%, respectively, indicating that the PAP decreases the number of patients who fall into poverty due to NSCLC treatment. CONCLUSIONS: To conclude, pemetrexed PAP is resulted significant clinical and economic benefits to society, and to increase patients' compliance with chemo protocols by allowing patients, for whom the pemetrexed treatment was unaffordable, to continue receive it.
Conference/Value in Health Info
2017-05, ISPOR 2017, Boston, MA, USA
Value in Health, Vol. 20, No. 5 (May 2017)
Code
PCN105
Topic
Economic Evaluation
Topic Subcategory
Cost-comparison, Effectiveness, Utility, Benefit Analysis
Disease
Oncology