Cost-effectiveness of enfuvirtide for treatment-experienced patients with HIV in Italy.
BACKGROUND
Enfuvirtide (ENF) plus an optimized background (OB) antiretroviral regimen delays virological failure (VF), reduces HIV-1 viral load, and increases CD4 count compared with OB only in pretreated patients.


OBJECTIVE
To forecast long-term outcomes, costs, and cost-effectiveness of ENF+OB vs. OB in the Italian health care system.


METHODS
A Markov model was developed and clinical trial results on viral suppression and CD4 count were linked with data from HAART-era studies of the risk of AIDS-defining events (ADEs) and death. Resource data were obtained from Italian sources on direct medical costs. Cost-effectiveness was computed as the incremental cost per quality-adjusted life year (QALY) saved.


RESULTS
Patients receiving ENF+OB were projected to experience a mean time to virological failure of 1.0 years vs. 0.5 years for OB and mean time to immunological failure of 3.1 years vs. 1.3 years for OB. Life expectancy and QALYs were greater for ENF+OB than OB by 1.8 and 1.5 years, respectively. Total lifetime medical cost was euro 126,487 for ENF+OB and euro 84,416 for OB, a difference of euro 42,071 due to the cost of ENF itself (euro 18,400) and the medical costs associated with additional life expectancy (euro 23,671). The incremental cost-effectiveness of ENF+OB was euro 23,721 per life year (euro 28,669 per QALY).


CONCLUSIONS
ENF+OB is predicted to increase life expectancy at a cost per life year that is comparable to many well-accepted therapies in Europe.
Hornberger
John
J
The SPHERE Institute / Acumen, LLC, 1415 Rollins Road, Suite 110, Burlingame, CA 94010, USA. jhornberger@acumen-llc.com
Green
Jesse
J
Wintfeld
Neil
N
Cavassini
Matthias
M
Rockstroh
Jürgen
J
Giuliani
Giovanni
G
De Carli
Claudio
C
Lazzarin
Adriano
A
D018791:CD4 Lymphocyte Count; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D018450:Disease Progression; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D000077560:Enfuvirtide; D015700:HIV Envelope Protein gp41 / Q000191:economics* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D023581:HIV Fusion Inhibitors / Q000191:economics* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000191:economics*; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D008390:Markov Chains; D008954:Models, Biological; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000191:economics* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011788:Quality of Life; D017211:Treatment Failure
D015700:HIV Envelope Protein gp41; D023581:HIV Fusion Inhibitors; D010446:Peptide Fragments; D000077560:Enfuvirtide