Objectives: Precision medicine (PM) aims to improve patient outcomes by stratifying or individualizing diagnosis and treatment decisions. Previous reviews found inconclusive evidence as to the cost-effectiveness of PM. The purpose of this scoping review was to describe current research findings on the cost-effectiveness of PM and to identify characteristics of cost-effective interventions.
Methods: We searched PubMed with a combination of terms related to PM and economic evaluations and included studies published between 2014 and 2017.
Results: A total of 83 articles were included, of which two-thirds were published in Europe and the USA. The majority of studies concluded that the PM intervention was at least cost-effective compared to usual care. However, the willingness-to-pay thresholds varied widely. Key factors influencing cost-effectiveness included the prevalence of the genetic condition in the target population, costs of genetic testing and companion treatment and the probability of complications or mortality.
Conclusions: This review may help inform decisions about reimbursement, research and development of PM interventions.
Keywords: Economic evaluation; Precision medicine; Scoping review.