The diagnosis and therapy of colorectal cancer from a pharmacoeconomic perspective

Česká verzia

Authors: D. Mináriková ¹; J. Bielik ²; I. Malovecká ¹; P. Minárik ^3,4; K. Gatialová ¹; V. Foltán ¹
Authors place of work: Katedra organizácie a riadenia farmácie, Farmaceutická fakulta UK v Bratislave, Slovenská republika ¹; Fakulta zdravotníctva, Trenčianska univerzita Alexandra Dubčeka v Trenčíne, Slovenská republika ²; Oddelenie gastroenterológie, Onkologický ústav sv. Alžbety, s. r. o., Bratislava, Slovenská republika ³; Vysoká škola zdravotníctva a sociálnej práce sv. Alžbety, Bratislava, Slovenská republika ⁴
Published in the journal: Gastroent Hepatol 2015; 69(6): 504-508
Category: Gastrointestinal Oncology: Original Article
doi: https://doi.org/10.14735/amgh2015504

Summary

Malignant tumours of the colon and rectum rank among the most common types of cancer in the population. In 2008 in Slovakia, colorectal cancer was the most common type of cancer in men (14.5%), while in women it was the second most common type of cancer (10.8%). Biological therapy and new anticancer drugs can greatly improve the prognosis of the disease evolution, but they in crease the cost of therapy and require effective provision of oncological health care.

Objective:
The work presents selected pharmacoeconomic data concerning current colorectal cancer therapy and evaluates the cost-effectiveness of aflibercept in the treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer.

Methods:
Cost minimisation analysis was used to compare the efficacy and costs of aflibercept to bevacizumab. Cost utility analysis was used with Markov simulation model for assessing aflibercept in combination with FOLFIRI and bevacizumab in combination with FOLFIRI.

Results:
Treatment with aflibercept results in a saving of 26 Euros from public funds per cycle compared to initiating therapy with bevacizumab. The cost of treatment of one patient with aflibercept in second-line treatment in combination with FOLFIRI throughout their lifetime is 417 Euros lower and this treatment brings 0.03 QALY more than the therapy with bevacizumab in combination with FOLFIRI. The ICUR value for aflibercept + FOLFIRI compared to bevacizumab + FOLFIRI is –15 700 Euros.

Conclusion:
The evaluation of aflibercept’s cost-effectiveness confirms that it is a cost-saving alternative in the treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer patients and in combination with FOLFIRI it represents a dominant therapeutic strategy. However, for a comprehensive assessment in future analyses it will be necessary to take into account the indirect costs of the given treatment.

Key words:
colorectal cancer – pharmacoeconomics – biological therapy

The authors declare they have no potential conflicts of interest concerning drugs, products, or services used in the study.

The Editorial Board declares that the manuscript met the ICMJE „uniform requirements“ for biomedical papers.

Submitted:
1. 9. 2015

Accepted:
29. 10. 2015

Zdroje

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