title: Value of biologic therapy: a forecasting model in three disease areas.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Forecast the return on investment (ROI) for advances in biologic therapies in years 2015 and 2030, based upon impact on disease prevalence, morbidity, and mortality for asthma, diabetes, and colorectal cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  A deterministic, spreadsheet-based, forecasting model was developed based on trends in demographics and disease epidemiology. 'Return' was defined as reductions in disease burden (prevalence, morbidity, mortality) translated into monetary terms; 'investment' was defined as the incremental costs of biologic therapy advances. Data on disease prevalence, morbidity, mortality, and associated costs were obtained from government survey statistics or published literature. Expected impact of advances in biologic therapies was based on expert opinion. Gains in quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) were valued at $100,000 per QALY.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The base case analysis, in which reductions in disease prevalence and mortality predicted by the expert panel are not considered, shows the resulting ROIs remain positive for asthma and diabetes but fall below $1 for colorectal cancer. Analysis involving expert panel predictions indicated positive ROI results for all three diseases at both time points, ranging from $207 for each incremental dollar spent on biologic therapies to treat asthma in 2030, to $4 for each incremental dollar spent on biologic therapies to treat colorectal cancer in 2015. If QALYs are not considered, the resulting ROIs remain positive for all three diseases at both time points.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Society may expect substantial returns from investments in innovative biologic therapies. These benefits are most likely to be realized in an environment of appropriate use of new molecules.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The potential variance between forecasted (from expert opinion) and actual future health outcomes could be significant. Similarly, the forecasted growth in use of biologic therapies relied upon unvalidated market forecasts.
authors.affiliation: Center for Health Economics, Epidemiology & Science Policy, United BioSource Corporation, Lexington, MA 02420, USA. clark.paramore@unitedbiosource.com
authors.forename: L Clark
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Paramore
authors.forename: Craig A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Hunter
authors.forename: Bryan R
authors.initials: BR
authors.lastname: Luce
authors.forename: Robert J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Nordyke
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Halbert
mesh_terms: D001249:Asthma / Q000453:epidemiology; D001691:Biological Therapy / Q000639:trends*; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000453:epidemiology; D005544:Forecasting; D006801:Humans; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D015995:Prevalence; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology