Cost-effectiveness analysis of pembrolizumab with chemotherapy for metastatic nonsquamous non-small cell lung cancer in Taiwan

 

Wei-Ling Lee, Department of Pharmacy, Taipei Chang Gung Memorial Hospital of the CGMF, Taipei, Taiwan
Wan-Hsuan Chou, Department of Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
Wei-Pin Chang, School of Health Care Administration, College of Management, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
Tsung-Wei Chang, Department of Pharmacy, Yuanlin Christian Hospital, Changhua, Taiwan
Chun-Nan Kuo, Department of Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, TaiwanFollow
Wei-Chiao Chang, Department of Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan

Keywords

Cost effectiveness analysis, Nonsquamous non-small-cell lung cancer, Pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy, Pharmacoeconomics, Programmed cell death ligand 1

Abstract

This study was aimed to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of pembrolizumab with chemotherapy (pembrolizumabcombination therapy) and compare it with standard-of-care platinum-based chemotherapy (chemotherapy alone) as a first-line treatment for metastatic nonsquamous NSCLC from the perspective of Taiwan's third-party-payer public health-care system. We used a partitioned survival model with an estimated time horizon of 10 years. The partitionedsurvival model uses KaplaneMeier estimates of progression-free and overall survival from the KEYNOTE-189 clinicaltrial. The quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) values were based on utility values by progression status calculated from theKEYNOTE-189 trial. This study examined costs related to treatment regimens, disease management, second-line therapy,end-of-life care, and adverse event management. Cost and utility were discounted at 3% per year. Probabilistic anddeterministic sensitivity analyses were performed to test the robustness of the results. The willingness-to-pay threshold was set at 3 × Taiwan's gross domestic product (GDP), equivalent to NT$2,788,290. In the base-case scenario, pem-brolizumab combination therapy resulted in an expected gain of 0.89 QALYs and an incremental cost of NT$2,201,203relative to chemotherapy alone. The ICER was NT$2,478,601/QALY. In the analysis of the PD-L1 tumor proportion score (TPS) ≥ 50% subgroup, the patients who received pembrolizumab combination therapy gained 1.12 QALYs more than those who received chemotherapy alone, and the incremental cost was NT$2,522,528. Therefore, the ICER for this subset of patients was NT$2,258,358/QALY. In conclusion, pembrolizumab combination therapy is a cost-effective option forfirst-line treatment of metastatic nonsquamous NSCLC. The relative cost-effectiveness of pembrolizumab combination therapy is greatest for patients with PD-L1 TPS ≥50%.

Recommended Citation

Lee, Wei-Ling; Chou, Wan-Hsuan; Chang, Wei-Pin; Chang, Tsung-Wei; Kuo, Chun-Nan; and Chang, Wei-Chiao (2024) "Cost-effectiveness analysis of pembrolizumab with chemotherapy for metastatic nonsquamous non-small cell lung cancer in Taiwan," Journal of Food and Drug Analysis: Vol. 32 : Iss. 4 , Article 14.
Available at: https://doi.org/10.38212/2224-6614.3536

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