Cost-effectiveness of tyrosine kinase inhibitor treatment strategies for chronic myeloid leukemia in chronic phase after generic entry of imatinib in the United States

William V. Padula, Richard A. Larson, Stacie B. Dusetzina, Jane F. Apperley, Rudiger Hehlmann, Michele Baccarani, Ekkehard Eigendorff, Joelle Guilhot, Francois Guilhot, Francois Xavier Mahon, Giovanni Martinelli, Jiri Mayer, Martin C. Müller, Dietger Niederwieser, Susanne Saussele, Charles A. Schiffer, Richard T. Silver, Bengt Simonsson, Rena M. Conti

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

56 Scopus citations

Abstract

Background: We analyzed the cost-effectiveness of treating incident chronic myeloid leukemia in chronic phase (CML-CP) with generic imatinib when it becomes available in United States in 2016. In the year following generic entry, imatinib's price is expected to drop 70% to 90%. We hypothesized that initiating treatment with generic imatinib in these patients and then switching to the other tyrosine-kinase inhibitors (TKIs), dasatinib or nilotinib, because of intolerance or lack of effectiveness (×quot;imatinib-first×quot;) would be cost-effective compared with the current standard of care: ×quot;physicians' choice×quot; of initiating treatment with any one of the three TKIs. Methods: We constructed Markov models to compare the five-year cost-effectiveness of imatinib-first vs physician's choice from a US commercial payer perspective, assuming 3% annual discounting (×dollar;US 2013). The models' clinical endpoint was five-year overall survival taken from a systematic review of clinical trial results. Per-person spending on incident CML-CP treatment overall care components was estimated using Truven's MarketScan claims data. The main outcome of the models was cost per quality-adjusted life-year (QALY). We interpreted outcomes based on a willingness-to-pay threshold of ×dollar;100 000/QALY. A panel of European LeukemiaNet experts oversaw the study's conduct. Results: Both strategies met the threshold. Imatinib-first (×dollar;277 401, 3.87 QALYs) offered patients a 0.10 decrement in QALYs at a savings of ×dollar;88 343 over five years to payers compared with physician's choice (×dollar;365 744, 3.97 QALYs). The imatinibfirst incremental cost-effectiveness ratio was approximately ×dollar;883 730/QALY. The results were robust to multiple sensitivity analyses. Conclusion: When imatinib loses patent protection and its price declines, its use will be the cost-effective initial treatment strategy for CML-CP.

Original languageEnglish (US)
JournalJournal of the National Cancer Institute
Volume108
Issue number7
DOIs
StatePublished - Jul 2016

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Oncology
  • Cancer Research

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