Aims: Dapagliflozin was approved for use in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) based on results of the DAPA-CKD trial, demonstrating attenuation of CKD progression and reduced risk of cardio-renal outcomes and all-cause mortality (ACM) versus placebo, in addition to standard therapy. The study objective was to assess the potential medical care cost offsets associated with reduced rates of cardio-renal outcomes across 31 countries and regions.
Materials and methods: A comparative cost-determination framework estimated outcome-related costs of dapagliflozin plus standard therapy versus standard therapy alone over a 3-year horizon based on the DAPA-CKD trial. Incidence rates of end-stage kidney disease (ESKD), hospitalizations for heart failure (HHF), acute kidney injury (AKI), and ACM were estimated for a treated population of 100,000 patients. Associated medical care costs for non-fatal events were calculated using sources from a review of publicly available data specific to each considered setting.
Results: Patients treated with dapagliflozin plus standard therapy experienced fewer incidents of ESKD (7,221 vs 10,767; number needed to treat, NNT: 28), HHF (2,370 vs 4,684; NNT: 43), AKI (4,110 vs. 5,819; NNT: 58), and ACM (6,383 vs 8,874; NNT: 40) per 100,000 treated patients versus those treated with standard therapy alone. Across 31 countries/regions, reductions in clinical events were associated with a 33% reduction in total costs, or a cumulative mean medical care cost offset of $264 million per 100,000 patients over 3 years.
Limitations and conclusions: This analysis is limited by the quality of country/region-specific data available for medical care event costs. Based on the DAPA-CKD trial, we show that treatment with dapagliflozin may prevent cardio-renal event incidence at the population level, which could have positive effects upon healthcare service delivery worldwide. The analysis was restricted to outcome-associated costs and did not consider the cost of drug treatments and disease management.
Keywords: acute kidney injury; chronic kidney disease; dapagliflozin; heart failure; kidney failure; sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitors.
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) has a high clinical, economic, and societal burden and it affects approximately 8-16% of the global population. The progressive nature of CKD may lead to complications, co-morbidities, and mortality, costing healthcare systems millions and consuming a large proportion of healthcare resources. Dapagliflozin, a sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 inhibitor, has been demonstrated to slow CKD progression and reduce cardio-renal complications, as demonstrated in the DAPA-CKD trial. With the emergence of dapagliflozin as a treatment for CKD, it is important for clinicians and healthcare providers to understand how effective treatment can positively affect short-term healthcare service delivery and associated costs. This medical care cost offset modelling analysis considers a scalable population of 100,000 patients in 31 countries/regions worldwide. The analysis estimates treatment with dapagliflozin plus standard therapy to be offset by a 33% reduction in costs associated with key cardio-renal outcomes, translating to an average $264 million in cost offsets per 100,000 treated patients. This modelling analysis of pivotal trial data shows dapagliflozin could have considerable benefits to healthcare systems worldwide that are under strain from the rising burden of CKD.