Objectives: To determine the cost-effectiveness of omalizumab compared with routine clinical practice in the treatment and control of severe persistent asthma.
Methods: Cost-effectiveness analysis using pre- and post-treatment with omalizumab after 10 months of 47 patients diagnosed with uncontrolled severe persistent asthma attended by the Pneumology Service, Hospital Universitario Virgen de la Victoria, Malaga. Effectiveness was assessed by the number of emergency room (ER) visits for exacerbations and quality-adjusted life years (QALY) gained. The costs of treatment with omalizumab and ER visits were analyzed using the National Health System perspective. Results are expressed in cost per QALY gained and cost per ER visit avoided (costs €2012).
Results: Exacerbations with ER visits decreased significantly (p < 0.001) after 10 months of omalizumab treatment compared with the previous 10 months [7.94 (6.52-9.37) vs 0.19 (0.03-0.35)]. Health utilities increased significantly (p < 0.001) during the same period [0.5967 (0.5722-0.6212) vs 0.7566 (0.7232-0.7900)], representing 0.1333 (0.1053-0.1612) QALYs gained (p < 0.001).The mean cost per patient was €1850.78 (1519.46-2182.10) in the 10 months before treatment and €5431.87 (4930.72-5933.02) after 10 months of omalizumab treatment. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) were €462.08/exacerbation avoided (347.65-606.22) and €26 864.89/QALY gained (21 632.07-33 859.49).
Conclusions: Our results confirm that adding omalizumab to the treatment of patients with uncontrolled severe persistent asthma reduces the number of exacerbations with ER visits and increases health-related quality of life after 10 months of treatment and produces ICERs favorable to omalizumab and acceptable from the health system perspective.
Keywords: Asthma; cost-utility; effectiveness; healthcare costs; omalizumab.