Abstract

Objectives

The addition of pertuzumab to the scheme of docetaxel plus trastuzumab (TH) in patients with metastatic breast cancer with overexpression of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 increases survival. Nevertheless, this addition could represent a high cost for the health system of a middle-income country such as Colombia. Therefore, it is necessary to evaluate the efficiency of the pertuzumab plus TH (PTH) scheme in comparison with TH.

Methods

A partitioned survival model-based cost-utility analysis was performed. Progression-free survival and overall survival curves for each scheme were obtained from the CLEOPATRA study. The time horizon was 30 years with a discount rate of 5% for costs and quality-adjusted life-years. Total direct costs were calculated using national tariffs. Utilities were obtained from external sources. Model uncertainty was evaluated by deterministic and probabilistic sensitivity analysis. A willingness to pay value of 5180 US dollars was used.

Results

The discounted total average costs of TH and PTH were $24 109 and $60 846, respectively. These regimens’ average life-years were 5.78 and 8.38, and their quality-adjusted life-years were 3.28 and 4.51, respectively. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio was $29 867. One-way sensitivity analysis showed that the cost of pertuzumab was the variable that explained the uncertainty in the model. The probability that PTH is cost-effective in the probabilistic sensitivity analysis is 0.0724.

Conclusions

The addition of pertuzumab to the TH regimen in patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2–positive metastatic breast cancer has a low probability of being cost-effective from the payer’s perspective in the Colombian health system.