title: Cost-effectiveness of omalizumab in patients with severe persistent allergic asthma.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The health, economic and societal burden of asthma is considerable, and is greatest in patients with severe asthma, particularly when inadequately controlled. Real-life studies that assess the effectiveness of treatment are of particular interest.
  
  
  METHODS
  We determined the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of adding omalizumab to standard therapy using data from the real-life 1-year randomized open-label study (ETOPA) and using Canada as a reference country. Only patients receiving high-dose ICS plus LABA were included in the analysis, reflecting the EU label for omalizumab. Costs and quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) gained were used to calculate the ICER for omalizumab (cost/QALY). Probabilistic sensitivity analysis was performed to determine the 95% confidence interval and one-sided sensitivity analyses were performed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The base case lifetime analysis of standard therapy vs standard therapy plus add-on omalizumab for the first 5 years, gave an ICER of 31,209 Euro. Probabilistic sensitivity analysis indicated that the 95% confidence interval around the ICER was 27,739-40,840 Euro. The ICER range for one-way sensitivity analyses was 23,762 Euro without discounting to 66,443 Euro without inclusion of asthma-related mortality.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study demonstrates that add-on omalizumab therapy is cost-effective in patients with severe persistent allergic asthma.
authors.affiliation: United BioSource Corporation, London, UK.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Turk
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Dale
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bousquet
mesh_terms: D018927:Anti-Asthmatic Agents / Q000191:economics* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000888:Antibodies, Anti-Idiotypic; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000191:economics* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D061067:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized; D001249:Asthma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000191:economics* / Q000276:immunology; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D016527:Drug Costs; D006801:Humans; D007073:Immunoglobulin E / Q000276:immunology; D008390:Markov Chains; D018803:Models, Economic; D000069444:Omalizumab; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D018927:Anti-Asthmatic Agents; D000888:Antibodies, Anti-Idiotypic; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D061067:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized; D000069444:Omalizumab; D007073:Immunoglobulin E