Cost-effectiveness of robotic-assisted spinal surgery:A single-center retrospective study

Objective:Robotic-assisted spine surgeries(RASS)have been shown to enhance precision,reduce operative time,prevent complications,facilitate minimally invasive spinal surgery,and decrease revision surgery rates,leading to improved patient outco mes This study aimed to compare the cost-effectiveness of RAs's and non-robotic-assisted surgery for degenerative spine disease at a single center.Me thods:This retrospective study,including 122 patients,was conducted at a single center from March 2015 to February 2022.Patients who underwent ro bot-assisted surgery were assigned to the robotgroup,and patients who underwent non-robotic-assisted surgery were assigned to the non-mmbot group.Various data,indluding demographic information,surgical details,outcomes,and cost-effectiveness,were colected for both groups.The cost-effectiveness was determined using the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio(ICER),and subgroup analysis was conducted for patients with 1 or 2 levels of spi-nal instrumentation.The analysis was performed using STATA SE version 15 and Tree.Age Pro 2020,with Monte Caro simulations for the cost-effectiveness acceptability curve.Results The owerallICER was$22,572,but it decreased to$16,980 when considering cases with only 1or 2 levels of instrumentation.RASS is deemed cost-effective when the willi ingness to pay is$3000-$4000 if less than 2 levels of the spine are instrumented.Conchsions:The cost-effectiveness of robot icassistance be comes apparent whenthere isa reduced need for open surgeries,leading to decreased d revision rates caused by complications such as misplaced screwsor infctions.Therefore,it is advisable to allocate healthcare budget resou Irces to spine robots,as RASS PIDves to be cost-effective,partic cularly when only two or Ewer spinal levels require instrumentation.

Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Combined Chemotherapy Regimen Containing Bedaquiline in the Treatment of Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis in China

Objective This study aims to estimate the cost-effectiveness of the combined chemotherapy regimen containing Bedaquiline(BR)and the conventional treatment regimen(CR,not containing Bedaquiline)for the treatment of adults with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis(MDR-TB)in China.Methods A combination of a decision tree and a Markov model was developed to estimate the cost and effects of MDR patients in BR and CR within ten years.The model parameter data were synthesized from the literature,the national TB surveillance information system,and consultation with experts.The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio(ICER)of BR vs.CR was determined.Results BR(vs.CR)had a higher sputum culture conversion rate and cure rate and prevented many premature deaths(decreased by 12.8%),thereby obtaining more quality-adjusted life years(QALYs)(increased by 2.31 years).The per capita cost in BR was as high as 138,000 yuan,roughly double that of CR.The ICER for BR was 33,700 yuan/QALY,which was lower than China's 1×per capita Gross Domestic Product(GDP)in 2020(72,400 yuan).Conclusion BR is shown to be cost effective.When the unit price of Bedaquiline reaches or falls below57.21 yuan per unit,BR is expected to be the dominant strategy in China over CR.

Cost-effectiveness of patient specific vs conventional instrumentation for total knee arthroplasty:A systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND Over the past years,patient specific instrumentation(PSI)for total knee arthroplasty(TKA)has been implemented and routinely used.No clear answer has been given on its associated cost and cost-effectiveness when compared to conventional instrumentation(CI)for TKA.AIM To compare the cost and cost-effectiveness of PSI TKA compared to CI TKA.METHODS A literature search was performed in healthcare,economical healthcare,and medical databases(MEDLINE,EMBASE,CINAHL,Web of Science,Cochrane Library,EconLit).It was conducted in April 2021 and again in January 2022.Relevant literature included randomised controlled trials,retrospective studies,prospective studies,observational studies,and case control studies.All studies were assessed on methodological quality.Relevant outcomes included incremental cost-effectiveness ratio,quality-adjusted life years,total costs,imaging costs,production costs,sterilization associated costs,surgery duration costs and readmission rate costs.All eligible studies were assessed for risk of bias.Meta-analysis was performed for outcomes with sufficient data.RESULTS Thirty-two studies were included into the systematic review.Two were included in the metaanalysis.3994 PSI TKAs and 13267 CI TKAs were included in the sample size.The methodological quality of the included studies,based on Consensus on Health Economic Criteria-scores and risk of bias,ranged from average to good.PSI TKA costs less than CI TKA when considering mean operating room time and its associated costs and tray sterilization per patient case.PSI TKA costs more compared to CI TKA when considering imaging and production costs.Considering total costs per patient case,PSI TKA is more expensive in comparison to CI TKA.Meta-analysis comparing total costs for PSI TKA,and CI TKA showed a significant higher cost for PSI TKA.CONCLUSION Cost for PSI and CI TKA can differ when considering distinct aspects of their implementation.Total costs per patient case are increased for PSI TKA when compared to CI TKA.

Cost-effectiveness Analysis of Insulin Degludec and Liraglutide Injection in the Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes

Objective To analyze the cost-effectiveness of insulin degludec and liraglutide injection(IDegLira)compared with insulin glargine plus insulin aspart(IGar plus IAsp)in the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM)based on the price of IDegLira before and after it was successfully admitted to the National Reimbursable Drug List(NRDL).Methods Cost and effectiveness parameters were obtained through systematic retrieval from PubMed,ScienceDirect,CNKI,and Wanfang database.A cost-effectiveness analysis(CEA)model was established to analyze the economics using IDegLira for T2DM patients with 1 to 5 years of medication.Results and Conclusion Before IDegLira was admitted to NRDL,its economic advantages over the IGlar plus Iasp regimen became more significant as patients’medication time prolonged.After being admitted to NRDL,with 1 year of medication,the medical cost of IDegLira decreased by 2853.91 yuan and the quality adjusted life years(QALY)increased by 0.12055 than IGar plus IAsp.The sensitivity analysis was highly consistent with the results of the baseline result.After being admitted to NRDL,for patients with T2DM who have poor blood glucose control,IDegLira is absolutely an economic advantage scheme compared with IGar plus IAsp.

High-resolution microendoscopy for esophageal cancer screening in China: A cost-effectiveness analysis

AIM:To study the cost-effectiveness of high-resolution microendoscopy(HRME)in an esophageal squamous cell carcinoma(ESCC)screening program in China.METHODS:A decision analytic Markov model of ESCC was developed.Separate model analyses were conducted for cohorts consisting of an averagerisk population or a high-risk population in China.Hypothetical 50-year-old individuals were followed until age 80 or death.We compared three different strategies for both cohorts:(1)no screening;(2)standard endoscopic screening with Lugol’s iodine staining;and(3)endoscopic screening with Lugol’s iodine staining and an HRME.Model parameters were estimated from the literature as well as from GLOBOCAN,the Cancer Incidence and Mortality Worldwide cancer database.Health states in the model included non-neoplasia,mild dysplasia,moderate dysplasia,high-grade dysplasia,intramucosal carcinoma,operable cancer,inoperable cancer,and death.Separate ESCC incidence transition rates were generated for the average-risk and high-risk populations.Costs in Chinese currency were converted to international dollars(I$)and were adjusted to 2012dollars using the Consumer Price Index.RESULTS:The main outcome measurements for this study were quality-adjusted life years(QALYs)and incremental cost-effectiveness ratio(ICER).For the average-risk population,the HRME screening strategy produced 0.043 more QALYs than the no screening strategy at an additional cost of I$646,resulting in an ICER of I$11808 per QALY gained.Standard endoscopic screening was weakly dominated.Among the high-risk population,when the HRME screening strategy was compared with the standard screening strategy,the ICER was I$8173 per QALY.For both the high-risk and average-risk screening populations,the HRME screening strategy appeared to be the most cost-effective strategy,producing ICERs below the willingness-topay threshold,I$23500 per QALY.One-way sensitivity analysis showed that,for the average-risk population,higher specificity of Lugol’s iodine(>40%)and lower specificity of HRME(<70%)could make Lugol’s iodine screening cost-effective.For the high-risk population,the results of the model were not substantially affected by varying the follow-up rate after Lugol’s iodine screening,Lugol’s iodine test characteristics(sensitivity and specificity),or HRME specificity.CONCLUSION:The incorporation of HRME into an ESCC screening program could be cost-effective in China.Larger studies of HRME performance are needed to confirm these findings.

Cost-effectiveness analysis of transcatheter arterial chemoembolization with or without sorafenib for the treatment of unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma

BACKGROUND: Transcatheter arterial chemoembolization(TACE) and TACE in combination with sorafenib(TACEsorafenib) have shown a significant survival benefit for the treatment of unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC). Adopting either as a first-line therapy carries major cost and resource implications. The objective of this study was to estimate the relative cost-effectiveness of TACE against TACE-sorafenib for unresectable HCC using a decision analytic model.METHODS: A Markov cohort model was developed to compare TACE and TACE-sorafenib. Transition probabilities and utilities were obtained from systematic literature reviews, and costs were obtained from West China Hospital, Sichuan University, China. Survival benefits were reported in quality-adjusted life-years(QALYs). The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio(ICER) was calculated. Sensitive analysis was performed by varying potentially modifiable parameters of the model.RESULTS: The base-case analysis showed that TACE cost $26 951 and yielded survival of 0.71 QALYs, and TACE-sorafenib cost $44 542 and yielded survival of 1.02 QALYs in the entire treatment. The ICER of TACE-sorafenib versus TACE was $56 745 per QALY gained, which was above threshold for cost-effectiveness in China. Sensitivity analysis revealed that the major driver of ICER was the cost post TACE-sorafenib therapy with stable state.CONCLUSION: TACE is a more cost-effective strategy than TACE-sorafenib for the treatment of unresectable HCC.

Real-world cost-effectiveness associated with infliximab maintenance therapy for moderate to severe Crohn's disease in China

BACKGROUND Infliximab was the first approved biologic treatment for moderate to severe Crohn's disease(MS-CD) in China. However, the cost-effectiveness of infliximab maintenance therapy(IMT) for MS-CD relative to conventional maintenance therapy remained unclarified.AIM To assess the cost-effectiveness of IMT for MS-CD in Chinese patients from the perspective of Chinese public insurance payer.METHODS A cohort of MS-CD patients managed in a Chinese tertiary care hospital was created to compare IMT with conventional maintenance therapy(CMT) for clinical outcomes and direct medical costs over a 1-year observation time using conventional regression analyses. A decision-analytic model with the generated evidence was constructed to assess the cost-effectiveness of IMT relative to CMT using reimbursed medical costs.RESULTS Based on the included 389 patients, IMT was associated with significantly higher disease remission chance [odds ratio: 4.060, P = 0.003], lower risk of developing new complications(odds ratio: 0.527, P = 0.010), higher utility value for quality of life(coefficient 0.822, P = 0.008), and lower total hospital costs related to disease management(coefficient-0.378, P = 0.008) than CMT. Base-case cost-effectiveness analysis estimated that IMT could cost Chinese health insurance payers $55260 to gain one quality-adjusted life year(QALY). The cost-effectiveness of IMT was mainly driven by the estimate of quality of life, treatment efficacy of maintenance therapy, mortality risk associated with active disease, and unit price of infliximab. The probability that IMT was cost-effective at a willingness-to-pay threshold of three times gross domestic product [2018 Chinese gross domestic product per capita(GDPPC)] was 86.4%.CONCLUSION IMT significantly improved real-world health outcomes and cost the Chinese public health insurance payers less than one GDPPC to gain one QALY in Chinese MS-CD patients.

Cost-effectiveness analysis of colon cancer treatments from MOSIAC and No.16968 trials

AIM:To compare XELOX and FOLFOX4 as colon cancer adjuvant chemotherapy based on MOSAIC and No.16968 trails from Chinese cost-effectiveness perspective.METHODS:A decision-analytic Markov model was developed to compare the FOLFOX4 and XELOX regimens based MOSAIC and No.16968 trial.Five states were included in our Markov model:well(state 1),minor toxicity(state 2),major toxicity(state 3),quitting adjuvant chemotherapy(state 4),and death due to adjuvant chemotherapy(state 5).Transitions among the 5 states were assumed to be Markovian.Costs were calculated from the perspective of the Chinese health-care payer.The utility data were taken from published studies.Sensitivity analyses were used to explore the impact of uncertainty factors in this cost-effectiveness analysis.RESULTS:Total direct costs of FOLFOX4 and XELOX per patient were$19884.96±4280.30 and$18113.25±3122.20,respectively.The total fees related to adverse events per patient during the entire treatment were$204.75±16.80 for the XELOX group,and$873.72±27.60 for the FOLFOX4 group,and the costs for travel and absenteeism per patient were$18495.00for the XELOX group and$21,352.68 for the FOLFOX4group.The base-case analysis showed that FOLFOX4was estimated to produce an additional 0.06 in quality adjusted life years(QALYs)at an additional cost of$3950.47 when compared to the XELOX regimen over the model time horizon.The cost per QALY gained was$8047.30 in the XELOX group,which was$900.98 less than in the FOLFOX4 group($8948.28).The one way sensitivity analysis demonstrated that the utility for the well state and minor toxicity state greatly influenced the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of FOLFOX4.CONCLUSION:In term of cost-comparison,XELOX is expected to dominate FOLFOX4 regimes;Therefore,XELOX provides a more cost-effective adjuvant chemotherapy for colon cancer patients in China.

Cost-effectiveness of endoscopic ultrasound-guided coils plus cyanoacrylate injection compared to endoscopic cyanoacrylate injection in the management of gastric varices

BACKGROUND Cyanoacrylate(CYA)injection can be performed using a standard upper endoscopy technique or under endoscopic ultrasound(EUS)guidance alone or in combination with coils.There is little information available on the economic impact of these treatment methods.AIM To compare the cost-effectiveness of treating gastric varices by CYA injection via upper endoscopy vs coils plus CYA guided by EUS.METHODS This was an observational,descriptive,and retrospective study.Patients were allocated into two groups:A CYA group and coils plus CYA group.The baseline characteristics were compared,and a cost analysis was performed.RESULTS Overall,36 patients were included(19 in the CYA group and 17 in the coils+CYA group).All patients in the CYA group had acute bleeding.They underwent a higher mean number of procedures(1.47 vs 1,P=0.025),and the mean volume of glue used was 2.15 vs 1.65 mL,P=0.133.The coils+CYA group showed a higher technical success rate(100%vs 84.2%),with a complication rate similar to the CYA group.The majority of CYA patients required hospitalization,and although the mean total per procedure cost was lower(United States$1350.29 vs United States$2978),the mean total treatment cost was significantly different(United States$11060.89 for CYA vs United States$3007.13 for coils+CYA,P=0.03).CONCLUSION The use of EUS-guided coils plus cyanoacrylate is more cost-effective than cyanoacrylate injection when the total costs are evaluated.Larger,randomized trials are needed to validate the cost-effectiveness of the EUS-guided approach to treat gastric varices.

Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy with Zoledronic Acid for HER2-Negative Breast Cancer in Japan: The JONIE1 Study

Objective: Zoledronic acid (ZOL) is a nitrogen-containing bisphosphonate that induces osteoclast apoptosis and inhibits bone resorption. Adding ZOL to neoadjuvant chemotherapy has been shown to have potential anticancer benefits in women with HER2-negative breast cancer. The objective of the present study was to investigate ZOL’s cost-effectiveness from the perspective of health care payers in Japan. Methods: A Markov model was developed to evaluate the costs and effectiveness associated with ZOL + chemotherapy (CTZ) and chemotherapy (CT) alone over a 10-year time horizon. Monthly transition probabilities were estimated according to JONIE1 (Japan Organization of Neoadjuvant Innovative Expert) Study data and an extrapolated Weibull model. Health outcomes were measured in quality-adjusted life years (QALYs). Costs were calculated using year-2018 Japanese yen (JPY) (1.00 US dollars (USD) = 110.4 JPY). Model robustness was addressed through one-way and probabilistic sensitivity analysis. The costs and QALYs were discounted at a rate of 2% per year. Results: In the base case, the use of CTZ was associated with a gain of 3.94 QALYs. The incremental cost per QALY of the CTZ gain was 681,056.1 JPY (6168.99 USD) per QALY. Conclusion: It is convincing that neoadjuvant CTZ for patients with breast cancer would be expected to have statistically significant clinical efficacy. Addition of ZOL to CT might be a cost-effective option compared with CT alone.

Cost-effectiveness modelling of percutaneous coronary interventions in stable coronary artery disease

The objective of this study is to develop a cost-effectiveness model comparing drug eluting stents(DES) vs bare metal stent(BMS) in patients suffering of stable coronary artery disease. Using a 2-years time horizon, two simulation models have been developed: BMS first line strategy and DES first line strategy. Direct medical costs were estimated considering ambulatory and hospital costs. The effectiveness endpoint was defined as treatment success, which is the absence of major adverse cardiac events. Probabilistic sensitivity analyses were carried out using 10000 Monte-Carlo simulations. DES appeared slightly more efficacious over 2 years(60% of success) when compared to BMS(58% of success). Total costs over 2 years were estimated at 9303 € for the DES and at 8926 € for bare metal stent. Hence, corresponding mean cost-effectiveness ratios showed slightly lower costs(P < 0.05) per success for the BMS strategy(15520 €/success), as compared to the DES strategy(15588 €/success). Incremental costeffectiveness ratio is 18850 € for one additional percent of success. The sequential strategy including BMS as the first option appears to be slightly less efficacious but more cost-effective compared to the strategy including DES as first option. Future modelling approaches should confirm these results as further comparative data in stable coronary artery disease and long-term evidence become available.

Cost-effectiveness Analysis of Two Therapeutic Regimens for Newly Diagnosed Smear-negative Pulmonary Tuberculosis

Tuberculosis （TB） has a severe effect on humanhealth and causes a huge economic burden.Previous studies have demonstrated that patientswith smear-negative pulmonary TB accounted forapproximately 60%-70% of the total pulmonary TBcases. Therefore, it is extremely important toformulate safe, effective, and economic therapeuticregimens for patients with smear-negativepulmonary TB.

Cost-effectiveness in Clostridium difficile treatment decision-making

AIM: To develop a framework for the clinical and health economic assessment for management of Clostridium difficile infection(CDI).METHODS: CDI has vast economic consequences emphasizing the need for innovative and cost effective solutions, which were aim of this study. A guidance model was developed for coverage decisions and guideline development in CDI. The model included pharmacotherapy with oral metronidazole or oral vancomycin, which is the mainstay for pharmacological treatment of CDI and is recommended by most treatment guidelines.RESULTS: A design for a patient-based cost-effectiveness model was developed, which can be used to estimate the cost-effectiveness of current and future treatment strategies in CDI. Patient-based outcomes were extrapolated to the population by including factors like, e.g., person-to-person transmission, isolation precautions and closing and cleaning wards of hospitals. CONCLUSION: The proposed framework for a population-based CDI model may be used for clinical and health economic assessments of CDI guidelines and coverage decisions for emerging treatments for CDI.

Safety,effectiveness,and cost-effectiveness of ArgusⅡin patients with retinitis pigmentosa:a systematic review

AIM:To assess the effectiveness,safety,and costeffectiveness of the Argus II in treatment of the retinitis pigmentosa(RP)patients.METHODS:The Pro Quest,Web of Science,EMBASE,MEDLINE(via Pub Med)were searched using combinations of the keywords of Argus,safety,effectiveness,bionic eye,retinal prosthesis,and RP through March 2018.The retrieved records were screened and then assessed for eligibility.RESULTS:Totally 926 records were retrieved from the searched databases and finally 12 studies included.The RP patients showed improvements in visual function after receiving the prosthesis,compared to the time before the prosthesis or the time it was off.This was measured by square localization,direction of motion,and grating visual acuity tests.No major adverse effect was reported for the Argus II prosthesis itself and/or the surgery to implement it,but the most frequently reported items were hypotony,and conjunctival dehiscence.The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio(ICER)was calculated to be€14603 per qualityadjusted life year(QALY)in UK and$207616 per QALY in Canada.CONCLUSION:The available evidence shows that the Argus II prosthesis in RP patients is effective in improvement of their visual function.Some minor adverse effects are reported for the prosthesis.The cost-effectiveness studies show that the technology is cost-effective only at high levels of willingness-to-pay.

Cost-effectiveness of lutetium(^177Lu)oxodotreotide vs everolimus in gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors in Norway and Sweden

BACKGROUND Gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors(GEP-NETs)represent a relatively rare and heterogenous group of tumors.Currently available treatment options for patients with progressive GEP-NETs include lutetium(177 Lu)oxodotreotide(177 LuDotatate)and everolimus[as well as sunitinib for patients with pancreatic NETs(P-NETs)].AIM To perform a health economic analysis to determine the cost-effectiveness of 177 LuDotatate compared with everolimus in patients with unresectable or metastatic midgut-NETs or P-NETs in both Sweden and Norway.METHODS Simulations were performed using a three-state partitioned survival model and analyses were performed separately for patients with midgut-NETs and P-NETs.Clinical input data were sourced from an indirect comparison that utilized survival data from clinical trials of 177 Lu-Dotatate and everolimus.The analyses were performed from the healthcare payer perspective over a time horizon of 20 years.For Sweden,future costs and clinical outcomes were discounted at 3%per annum.For Norway,a discount rate of 4%per annum was applied.RESULTS For Sweden,improved survival outcomes and higher lifetime costs with 177 LuDotatate resulted in an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio(ICER)of SEK 391194 per quality-adjusted life year(QALY)gained for midgut NETs and SEK 16764 per QALY gained for P-NETs for 177 Lu-Dotatate compared with everolimus.For Norway,the corresponding ICERs were NOK 244444 per QALY gained and NOK 106451 per QALY gained,respectively.One-way sensitivity analyses revealed that the results were most sensitive to changes in drug acquisition costs and health state utility values.CONCLUSION In both Sweden and Norway,from a healthcare provider perspective,177 LuDotatate is likely to be considered cost-effective relative to everolimus for the treatment of patients with unresectable or metastatic,progressive midgut-NETs or P-NETs.

Cost-effectiveness of Fluorine-18-Fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography in tumours other than lung cancer: A systematic review

AIM: To systematically review published data on the cost-effectiveness of Fluorine-18-Fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography(FDG-PET) or PET/computed tomography(PET/CT) in tumours other than lung cancer. METHODS: A comprehensive literature search of studies published in PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus and Embase databases through the 10th of October in 2013 was carried out. A search algorithm based on a combination of the terms:(1) "PET" or " PET/computed tomography(PET/CT)" or "positron emission tomography"; and(2) "cost-effectiveness" or "cost-utility" or "cost-efficacy" or "technology assessment" or "health technology assessment" was used. Only cost-effectiveness or cost-utility analyses in English language were included. Exclusion criteria were:(1) articles not within the field of interest of this review;(2) review articles, editorials or letters, conference proceedings; and(3) outcome evaluation studies, cost studies or health technology assessment reports. For each included study, information was col-lected concerning basic study, type of tumours evaluated, perspective/type of study, results, unit and comparison alternatives. RESULTS: Sixteen studies were included. Head and neck tumours were evaluated in 4 articles, lymphoma in 4, colon-rectum tumours in 3 and breast tumours in 2. Only one article was retrieved for melanoma, oesophagus and ovary tumours. Cost-effectiveness results of FDG-PET or PET/CT ranged from dominated to dominant. CONCLUSION: Literature evidence about the costeffectiveness of FDG-PET or PET/CT in tumours other than lung cancer is still limited. Nevertheless, FDGPET or PET/CT seems to be cost-effective in selective indications in oncology(staging and restaging of head and neck tumours, staging and treatment evaluation in lymphoma).

Cost-effectiveness analysis of tele-retinopathy of prematurity screening in Iran

AIM:To conduct a cost-utility analysis of the teleretinopathy of prematurity(ROP)screening program against no screening.METHODS:A decision tree model was developed to identify and treat the infants with threshold ROP through the tele-screening system compared with no screening program from the societal perspective.We used the quality adjusted life years(QALY)index to measure the scenarios’effectiveness,which was discounted for the future years by 0.058.One hundred twenty-six randomly selected newborns with ROP required treatment were investigated to extract the treatment information.We considered the direct medical and non-medical costs in cost calculations analysed by the bottom-up approach.The figures of the model’s inputs were calculated using the Monte Carlo simulation that generated 1000 random iteration of the data,and a one-way sensitivity analysis was performed on the model to cope with the potential uncertainties.RESULTS:The total and per capita needed the budget to establish a tele-ROP screening system were estimated at over 1.5 million and 35.13 USD,respectively.The total cost of identifying and treating an ROP case in tele-screening and no screening strategies were obtained as 108.72 and 63.52 USD,respectively,and their lifetime discounted QALY gained were calculated as 15.39 and 15.11,respectively.Therefore,incremental cost-effectiveness ratio(ICER)of tele-screening strategy against the competitive strategy was achieved as 161.43 USD.CONCLUSION:Tele-ROP screening program is one of the most cost-effective interventions in the Iranian health system and has a high priority to receive a budget for implementation.

Cost-Effectiveness of Somatostatin Analogues for the Treatment of Acromegaly in Colombia

Background: Somatostatin analogues have shown to be effective in controlling the levels of growth hormone and are recommended for the treatment of acromegaly. These treatments have high costs of acquisition and their use might be restricted in limited resource settings. Objective: To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of somatostatin analogues for acromegaly in Colombia. Setting/Subjects/Intervention: A decision model was developed using a hypothetical cohort of patients with Acromegaly. Patients were treated according to the clinical practice of the country. Response to treatment and transition probabilities were derived from published literature. Costs and resource utilization were extracted from public and private sources in Colombia. Main Outcome Measure(s): Cost-effectiveness ratio, measured in Colombian pesos in a 2 year time-horizon. Results: The total medical treatment costs for the octreotide group were (Colombian Pesos) COP$ 53,807,616, compared to the total costs for the lanreotide group of COP$ 83,126,567. In the octreotide arm 65.30% of the patients and in the lanreotide arm 59.50% of the patients were successfully controlled. The number of deaths was 295 (13.1%) and 302 (13.4%) for octreotide and lanreotide, respectively. Because the costs are lower and the effectiveness is higher for octreotide in comparison with lanreotide, octreotide is more cost-effective than lanreotide. Probabilistic sensitivity analyses were consistent showing octreotide as the most cost-effective option. Conclusions: Costs and effects of octreotide compare favorably to those of lanreotide in the treatment of acromegaly in Colombia. Sensitivity analysis showed that despite the uncertainty in cost-effectiveness ratio this result is robust.

Cost-effectiveness analysis comparing robotic sacrocolpopexy to a vaginal mesh hysteropexy for treatment of uterovaginal prolapse

Objective: To compare costs and QoL associated with 2 minimally invasive operations to treat uterovaginal prolapse. Study Design: A decision analytic cost-effectiveness model comparing vaginal mesh hysteropexy to robotic-assisted sacrocolpopexy. Costs were derived from a hospital perspective. QoL estimates focused on: recurrent prolapse;erosion;infection;transfusion;cystotomy;chronic pain;lower urinary tract symptoms;and mortality. Actual procedural costs at our institution were calculated. Costs and quality adjusted life years were examined over 1 year. Results: The costs ($21,853) and QALYs (0.9645) for robotic sacrocolpopexy produced a CE Ratio of $22,657 per QALY. The costs ($14,890) and QALYs (0.9309) for vaginal mesh produced a CE Ratio of $15,995 per QALY. The incremental cost per QALYs for robotic surgery was $207,232. Sensitivity analysis on all utilities, cost estimates, and complication estimates didn’t cross any thresholds. Conclusion: Vaginal mesh was more cost-effective than robotic sacrocolpopexy even when the cost of the robot was not factored.

Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Atezolizumab plus Pemetrexed and Platinum in First-Line Treatment of Non-Squamous Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer in China

Objective: To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of atezolizumab plus pemetrexed and platinum-based (APP) in the first-line treatment of non-squamous non- small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Methods: A partitioned survival model (PSM) was constructed based on the IMpower132 clinical trial. Total cost, quality- adjusted life years (QALY), and incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) were the main outputs of the model. Deterministic sensitivity analysis and probabilistic sensitivity analysis were adopted to test the uncertainty of the parameters. Results: The results of the base-case analysis illustrated that compared with PP, the incremental cost of APP was CNY 591040.94, the incremental utility was 0.46 QALY, and the ICER was CNY 1291414.83/QALY. Deterministic sensitivity analysis results illustrated that atezolizumab and other parameters have a greater impact on ICER. Probabilistic sensitivity analysis results show that no matter how each parameter changes, under the willingness to pay threshold of 3-times Chinese per capita GDP, the probability of APP has cost-effectiveness is 0. Conclusion: From the perspective of the Chinese health system, APP is not cost-effective for first-line treatment of non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer without sensitizing EGFR or ALK genetic alterations.