Sponsorship Bias in Base-Case Values and Uncertainty Bounds of Health Economic Evaluations? A Systematic Review of Herpes Zoster Vaccination

2018 ◽  
Vol 38 (6) ◽  
pp. 730-745 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joke Bilcke ◽  
Frederik Verelst ◽  
Philippe Beutels

Background. New health technologies are more likely adopted when they have lower incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) and/or when their ICER is presented with more certainty. Industry-funded (IF) health economic evaluations use often more favorable base-case values, leading to more favorable conclusions. Purpose. To study whether IF health economic evaluations of varicella-zoster virus vaccination in the elderly use more favorable base-case values and account for less uncertainty than non–industry-funded (NIF) evaluations. Methods. Data source: PubMed. Data extracted: funding source; incremental cost per quality-adjusted life year (QALY) gained; vaccine price; study quality score; base-case values, uncertainty ranges, and data sources for influential parameters: duration of vaccine protection, utility loss due to herpes zoster (HZ) disease, percentage of HZ patients developing postherpetic neuralgia (PHN), and duration of PHN. Data synthesis: qualitative comparisons; Fisher exact test for differences in study quality score and 1-sided Mann-Whitney U tests for differences in base-case values and uncertainty ranges. Results. Despite using the same data sources, IF studies ( n = 10) assume a longer duration of vaccine protection ( U = 56, P = 0.03), have a higher percentage of HZ patients developing PHN ( U = 22/33, P = 0.02/0.03 for ages 60–64/65–69), and tend to use higher HZ utility loss than NIF studies ( n = 11) for their baseline. IF studies show lower ICERs given similar or even higher vaccine prices than NIF studies, consider less uncertainty around the duration of vaccine protection ( U = 8, P < 0.001), and tend to use less uncertainty around the duration of PHN. Yet their quality has been rated equally well, using current standard quality rating tools. Conclusion. Researchers and decision makers should be aware of potential sponsorship bias in health economic evaluations, especially in the way source data are used to specify base-case values and uncertainty ranges.

1997 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 202-208 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fawziah Marra ◽  
Carlo A Marra ◽  
David M Patrick

OBJECTIVE: To assess the cost effectiveness of azithromycin versus doxycycline therapy for cervicalChlamydia trachomatisinfections in Canada.DESIGN: A predictive decision analytic model using previously published clinical and economic evaluations, expert opinion and costs of medical care in Canada.POPULATION: A hypothetical cohort of 5000 women followed over 10 years.INTERVENTIONS: Two diagnostic strategies were compared, laboratory confirmed diagnosis (LCD) and presumptive diagnosis (PD) ofC trachomatisinfection. Under each strategy, two treatment alternatives were analyzed, a single 1 g dose of azithromycin and a seven-day course of doxycycline as 100 mg twice daily.RESULTS: Despite a fourfold higher acquisition cost, under base case conditions, for both diagnostic strategies, the azithromycin treatment alternative was more cost effective than the doxycycline alternative. For the LCD model, the cost per cure for patients receiving azithromycin was $184.76 compared with $240.59 for patients receiving doxycycline, resulting in an incremental cost of $55.83. For the PD model, the cost per cure for patients treated with azithromycin was $51.48 compared with $51.82, resulting in an incremental cost of $0.34. For the hypothetical cohort of 5000 women, the use of azithromycin translates into a projected annual cost savings of $279,150 and $1,700 for the LCD and PD models, respectively. In one-way sensitivity analyses for the LCD model, no clinically plausible changes in the base case estimates changed the results of the cost effectiveness outcome. In the PD model, clinically plausible changes in the probabilities of doxycycline cure, pelvic inflammatory disease, sequelae and chlamydia infection were found to alter the cost effectiveness outcome.CONCLUSIONS: Based on the results from our model, the azithromycin strategy should be employed for the treatment of laboratory confirmed cases. However, for presumptive cases, azithromycin should be used only if the probabilities ofC trachomatisand pelvic inflammatory disease are more than 19%, doxycycline effectiveness is less than 78%, or the cost of azithromycin is less than $19.00.


2021 ◽  
Vol 39 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. e19535-e19535
Author(s):  
Matthias Calamia ◽  
Ali McBride ◽  
Ivo Abraham

e19535 Background: PBR and TafaL are two recently regulatory approved regimens that offer treatment options for R/R DLBCL patients who are ASCT ineligible or choose not to undergo ASCT. PBR is administered over 6 cycles, whereas TafaL is sustained until disease progression or death. We report here on an independent, naïve comparative, pharmacoeconomic evaluation of both regimens. Methods: Cost effectiveness and cost utility analyses were performed using a Markov model with 3 health states (progression free survival (PFS), post progression survival (PPS), death) parametrically extrapolated over a 5-year (y) time horizon (US payer perspective; 2020 USD). Cost inputs included main treatment, premedication, drug administration, adverse event management, and physician and laboratory fees. Incremental cost effectiveness ratios (ICER) and cost-utility ratios (ICUR) estimated the incremental costs to gain 1 unadjusted (LY) or quality adjusted life years (QALY), respectively. A novel metric of the incremental cost per 1% gain in probability of achieving objective response (OR), PFS and overall survival (OS) at trial follow up (̃2y) and PFS and OS at 5y with TafaL over PBR were estimated. Deterministic (DSA) and probabilistic (PSA) sensitivity analyses complemented base case analyses (BCA). Willingness to pay (WTP) thresholds were estimated. Results: At trial follow up (̃2y), PFS and OS rates were 38% and 63% for TafaL vs rates of 18% and 27.5% for PBR. The corresponding 5y PFS and OS rates were 13% and 32.7% for TafaL vs 5.2% and 11.3% for PBR. In BCAs, 5y TafaL costs ($470,949) exceeded PBR’s ($251,615) by $219,334 for incremental gains of 0.71 LY and 0.32 QALY. This yielded BCA ICER of $307,840/LYg and ICUR of $689,314/QALYg attenuated in PSA estimates of ICER of $280,042/LYg and ICUR of $589,215/QALYg. In DSAs, TafaL PFS utility value and PBR treatment costs were the most influential parameters. In PSAs, TafaL had a 50% probability of being cost effective at WTPs of $278,050/LYg and $560,360/QALYg. The incremental cost per 1% gain in probability to achieve OR, PFS and OS at follow up were $7,714, $5,785 and $3,259; and $28,120 and $10,249 for PFS and OS at 5 years. Conclusions: Considering that economic evaluations are intended to inform (but not set) policy, this independent analysis demonstrated that sustained TafaL treatment is associated with better survival outcomes than PBR though at greater cost. The incremental costs to gain a 1% improvement in 2y and 5y survival outcomes with TafaL over PBR were modest, underscoring the longer-term benefit of TafaL over PBR in pts ineligible for or opting out of ASCT.


2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (8) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Parackal ◽  
Jean-Eric Tarride ◽  
Feng Xie ◽  
Gord Blackhouse ◽  
Jennifer Hoogenes ◽  
...  

Introduction: Recent health technology assessments (HTAs) of robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP) in Ontario and Alberta, Canada, resulted in opposite recommendations, calling into question whether benefits of RARP offset the upfront investment. Therefore, the study objectives were to conduct a cost-utility analysis from a Canadian public payer perspective to determine the cost-effectiveness of RARP. Methods: Using a 10-year time horizon, a five-state Markov model was developed to compare RARP to open radical prostatectomy (ORP). Clinical parameters were derived from Canadian observational studies and a recently published systematic review. Costs, resource utilization, and utility values from recent Canadian sources were used to populate the model. Results were presented in terms of increment costs per quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) gained. A probabilistic analysis was conducted, and uncertainty was represented using cost-effectiveness acceptability curves (CEACs). One-way sensitivity analyses were also conducted. Future costs and QALYs were discounted at 1.5%. Results: Total cost of RARP and ORP were $47 033 and $45 332, respectively. Total estimated QALYs were 7.2047 and 7.1385 for RARP and ORP, respectively. The estimated incremental cost-utility ratio (ICUR) was $25 704 in the base-case analysis. At a willingness-to-pay threshold of $50 000 and $100 000 per QALY gained, the probability of RARP being cost-effective was 0.65 and 0.85, respectively. The model was most sensitive to the time horizon. Conclusions: The results of this analysis suggest that RARP is likely to be cost-effective in this Canadian patient population. The results are consistent with Alberta’s HTA recommendation and other economic evaluations, but challenges Ontario’s reimbursement decision.


2021 ◽  
Vol 103-B (12) ◽  
pp. 1783-1790
Author(s):  
Spencer Montgomery ◽  
Jonathan Bourget-Murray ◽  
Daniel Z. You ◽  
Leo Nherera ◽  
Amir Khoshbin ◽  
...  

Aims Total hip arthroplasty (THA) with dual-mobility components (DM-THA) has been shown to decrease the risk of dislocation in the setting of a displaced neck of femur fracture compared to conventional single-bearing THA (SB-THA). This study assesses if the clinical benefit of a reduced dislocation rate can justify the incremental cost increase of DM-THA compared to SB-THA. Methods Costs and benefits were established for patients aged 75 to 79 years over a five-year time period in the base case from the Canadian Health Payer’s perspective. One-way and probabilistic sensitivity analysis assessed the robustness of the base case model conclusions. Results DM-THA was found to be cost-effective, with an estimated incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of CAD $46,556 (£27,074) per quality-adjusted life year (QALY). Sensitivity analysis revealed DM-THA was not cost-effective across all age groups in the first two years. DM-THA becomes cost-effective for those aged under 80 years at time periods from five to 15 years, but was not cost-effective for those aged 80 years and over at any timepoint. To be cost-effective at ten years in the base case, DM-THA must reduce the risk of dislocation compared to SB-THA by at least 62%. Probabilistic sensitivity analysis showed DM-THA was 58% likely to be cost-effective in the base case. Conclusion Treating patients with a displaced femoral neck fracture using DM-THA components may be cost-effective compared to SB-THA in patients aged under 80 years. However, future research will help determine if the modelled rates of adverse events hold true. Surgeons should continue to use clinical judgement and consider individual patients’ physiological age and risk factors for dislocation. Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2021;103-B(12):1783–1790.


2007 ◽  
Vol 191 (S50) ◽  
pp. s42-s45 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul McCrone

BackgroundIt is essential in economic evaluations of schizophrenia interventions that all relevant costs are identified and measured appropriately Also of importance is the way in which cost data are combined with information on outcomesAimsTo examine the use of health economicsin evaluations of interventions for schizophreniaMethodsAreview of the key methods used to estimate costs and to link costs and outcomes was conductedResultsCosts fall on a number of different agencies and can be short term or long term. Cost-effectiveness analysis and cost-utility analysis are the most appropriate methods for combing cost and outcome dataConclusionsSchizophrenia poses a number of challenges for economic evaluation


2014 ◽  
Vol 17 (7) ◽  
pp. A427 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Mostardt ◽  
F.G. Sandmann ◽  
A. Seidl ◽  
M. Zhou ◽  
A.U. Gerber-Grote

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