Economic impact of ferric carboxymaltose in haemodialysis patients

Abstract

Intravenous iron supplementation is essential in hemodialysis (HD) patients to recover blood loss and to meet the requirements for erythropoiesis and, in patients receiving erythropoietin, to avert the development of iron deficiency. In a recent real-world study, Hofman et al. showed that a therapeutic shift from iron sucrose (IS) to ferric carboxymaltose (FCM) in HD patients improves iron parameters while reducing use of iron and erythropoietin. The objective of this economic analysis is to compare the weekly cost of treatment of FCM vs IS in hemodialysis patients in Italy. The consumption of drugs (iron and erythropoietin) was derived from Hofman’s data, while the value was calculated at Italian ex-factory prices. The analysis was carried on the total patient sample and in two subgroups: patients with iron deficiency and patients anemic at baseline. In addition, specific sensitivity analyses considered prices currently applied at the regional level, simulating the use of IS vs iron gluconate (FG) and epoetin beta vs epoetin alfa. In the base-case analysis, the switch to FCM generates savings of -€12.47 per patient/week (-21%) in all patients, and even greater savings in the subgroups with iron deficiency -€17.28 (-27%) and in anemic patients -€23.08 (-32%). Sensitivity analyses were always favorable to FCM and confirmed the robustness of the analysis. FCM may represent a cost-saving option for the NHS, and Italian real-world studies are needed to quantify the real consumption of resources in dialysis patients.

 

Keywords: ferric carboxymaltose, intravenous iron supplementation, chronic kidney disease, hemodialysis, drugs consumption, economic impact

Sorry, this entry is only available in Italian.

Introduzione

La prevalenza dei pazienti con malattia renale cronica (MRC) è pari al 10-16% della popolazione adulta mondiale [1] con tassi di incidenza in aumento nel corso degli anni [1,2]. Questo trend rappresenta una sfida per i diversi Sistemi Sanitari e i pagatori in generale, particolarmente quando si consideri il più elevato consumo di risorse nei pazienti più anziani [3,4]. Soprattutto, va evidenziato che la mortalità legata alla MRC è quasi duplicata, tra il 1990 e il 2010, con un aumento, in termini di anni persi per morte prematura, inferiore solo a HIV-AIDS e diabete mellito [5].
 

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