An Early Health Economic Analysis of the Potential Cost Effectiveness of an Adherence Intervention to Improve Outcomes for Patients with Cystic Fibrosis.
BACKGROUND
Cystic fibrosis (CF) negatively impacts upon health-related quality of life and survival. Adherence to nebulised treatments is low; improving adherence is hypothesised to reduce rates of exacerbation requiring intravenous antibiotics and lung function decline.


OBJECTIVE
A state transition model was developed to assess the cost effectiveness of an intervention aimed at increasing patient adherence to nebulised and inhaled antibiotics compared with current CF care, in advance of the forthcoming CFHealthHub randomised controlled trial (RCT).


METHODS
The model estimated the costs and health outcomes for each option from the perspective of the UK National Health Service and Personal Social Services over a lifetime horizon. Health gains were valued in terms of quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) gained. Forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) trajectories were predicted over three lung function strata: (1) FEV1≥70%, (2) FEV140-69% and (3) FEV1<40%. Additional states were included to represent 'post-lung transplantation' and 'dead'. The model was populated using CF Registry data, literature and expert opinion. Costs were presented at 2016 values. Uncertainty was assessed using deterministic and probabilistic sensitivity analyses.


RESULTS
If effective, the adherence intervention is expected to produce an additional 0.19 QALYs and cost savings of £64,078 per patient. Across all analyses, the intervention dominated current care. Over a 5-year period, the intervention is expected to generate cost savings of £49.5 million for the estimated 2979 patients with CF with Pseudomonas aeruginosa currently aged ≥16 years in the UK. If applied to a broader population of adult patients with CF receiving any nebulised therapy, the expected savings could be considerably greater.


CONCLUSIONS
If effective, the adherence intervention is expected to produce additional health gains at a lower cost than current CF care. However, the economic analysis should be revisited upon completion of the full RCT. More generally, the analysis suggests that considerable gains could be accrued through the implementation of adherence interventions that shift care from expensive hospital-based rescue to community-based prevention.
ScHARR, University of Sheffield, Regent Court, 30 Regent Street, Sheffield, S1 4DA, England, UK. p.tappenden@sheffield.ac.uk.
Paul
http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6612-2332
P
Tappenden
ScHARR, University of Sheffield, Regent Court, 30 Regent Street, Sheffield, S1 4DA, England, UK.
Susannah
S
Sadler
Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Sheffield, England, UK.
Martin
M
Wildman
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000191:economics; D017046:Cost Savings; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D003550:Cystic Fibrosis / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000191:economics; D005260:Female; D005541:Forced Expiratory Volume; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D055118:Medication Adherence; D018803:Models, Economic; D011552:Pseudomonas Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000191:economics / Q000209:etiology; D011550:Pseudomonas aeruginosa / Q000302:isolation & purification; D011788:Quality of Life; D019057:Quality-Adjusted Life Years; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D055815:Young Adult
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents