Newborn screening for spinal muscular atrophy with disease-modifying therapies: a cost-effectiveness analysis

2021 ◽  
pp. jnnp-2021-326344
Author(s):  
Sophy TF Shih ◽  
Michelle Anne Farrar ◽  
Veronica Wiley ◽  
Georgina Chambers
Keyword(s):  
Gene Therapy ◽  
Cost Effectiveness ◽  
Spinal Muscular Atrophy ◽  
Newborn Screening ◽  
Markov Models ◽  
Muscular Atrophy ◽  
Early Gene ◽  
Sensitivity Analyses ◽  
Life Years ◽  
Late Treatment

ObjectiveTo assess cost-effectiveness of newborn screening (NBS) for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) and early treatment with nusinersen or onasemnogene abeparvovec (gene therapy), compared with nusinersen without SMA screening.MethodsInformed by an Australian state-wide SMA NBS programme, a decision analytical model nested with Markov models was constructed to evaluate costs and quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) from a societal perspective with sensitivity analyses.ResultsBy treating one presymptomatic SMA infant with nusinersen or gene therapy, an additional 9.93 QALYs were gained over 60 years compared with late treatment in clinically diagnosed SMA. The societal cost was $9.8 million for early nusinersen treatment, $4.4 million for early gene therapy and $4.8 million for late nusinersen treatment. Compared with late nusinersen treatment, early gene therapy would be dominant, gaining 9.93 QALYs while saving $360 000; whereas early nusinersen treatment would result in a discounted incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of $507 000/QALY.At a population level, compared with no screening and late treatment with nusinersen, NBS and early gene therapy resulted in 0.00085 QALY gained over 60 years and saving $24 per infant screened (85 QALYs gained and $2.4 million saving per 100 000 infants screened). More than three quarters of simulated ICERs by probability sensitivity analyses showed NBS and gene therapy would be dominant or less than $50 000/QALY, compared with no screening and late nusinersen treatment.ConclusionNBS coupled with gene therapy improves the quality and length of life for infants with SMA and would be considered value-for-money from an Australian clinical and policy context.

scholarly journals Industry update for May 2019

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 555-561
Author(s):  
Louise Rosenmayr-Templeton
Keyword(s):  
Gene Therapy ◽  
Cost Effectiveness ◽  
Spinal Muscular Atrophy ◽  
Muscular Atrophy ◽  
Clinical Results ◽  
The Other ◽  
Press Releases ◽  
The Us ◽  
True Meaning ◽  
Genetic Medicine

This industry update features a round-up of pharmaceutical news in May 2019 based on press releases and websites. The month was characterized by the achievement of significant milestones in gene therapy. The biggest of these was the US FDA’s approval of Zolgensma®. This medicine sums up the promise and price of genetic medicine. On one hand the clinical results show Zolgensma can dramatically improve the prognosis for infants with spinal muscular atrophy after just one administration, while on the other, it has been priced at around US$2.1 million. With more such therapies likely to reach the market, the debate on Zolgensma goes beyond cost, to overall affordability, the true meaning of cost–effectiveness and how to reward companies for effective, innovative medicines.

scholarly journals Systematic literature review of the economic burden of spinal muscular atrophy and economic evaluations of treatments

2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tamara Dangouloff ◽  
Camille Botty ◽  
Charlotte Beaudart ◽  
Laurent Servais ◽  
Mickaël Hiligsmann
Keyword(s):  
Cost Effectiveness ◽  
Spinal Muscular Atrophy ◽  
Annual Cost ◽  
Muscular Atrophy ◽  
Standard Of Care ◽  
Severe Form ◽  
Cost Of Care ◽  
Economic Evaluations ◽  
Life Years ◽  
The Cost

Abstract Background Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a rare and devastating condition for which new disease-modifying treatments have recently been approved. Given the increasing importance of economic considerations in healthcare decision-making, this review summarizes the studies assessing the cost of SMA and economic evaluations of treatments. A systematic review of the literature in PubMed and Scopus up to 15 September 2020 was conducted according to PRISMA guidelines. Results Nine studies reporting the annual cost of care of patients with SMA and six evaluations of the cost-effectiveness of SMA treatments were identified. The average annual cost of SMA1, the most frequent and severe form in which symptoms appear before the age of 6 months were similar according to the different studies, ranged from $75,047 to $196,429 per year. The yearly costs for the forms of the later-onset form, called SMA2, SMA3, and SMA4, which were usually pooled in estimates of healthcare costs, were more variable, ranging from $27,157 to $82,474. The evaluations of cost-effectiveness of treatment compared nusinersen treatment against standard of care (n = 3), two treatments (nusinersen and onasemnogene abeparvovec) against each other and no drug treatment (n = 1), nusinersen versus onasemnogene abeparvovec (n = 1), and standard of care versus nusinersen with and without newborn screening (n = 1). The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of nusinersen compared to standard of care in SMA1 ranged from $210,095 to $1,150,455 per quality-adjusted life years (QALY) gained and that for onasemnogene abeparvovec ranged from $32,464 to $251,403. For pre-symptomatic patients, the ICER value ranged from $206,409 to $735,519. The ICERs for later-onset forms of SMA (2, 3 and 4) were more diverse ranging from $275,943 to $8,438,049. Conclusion This review confirms the substantial cost burden of standard of care for SMA patients and the high cost-effectiveness ratios of the approved drugs at the current price when delivered in post-symptomatic patients. Since few studies have been conducted so far, there is a need for further prospective and independent economic studies in pre- and post-symptomatic patients.

scholarly journals Cost effectiveness of nusinersen for patients with infantile-onset spinal muscular atrophy in US

2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Praveen Thokala ◽  
Matt Stevenson ◽  
Varun M. Kumar ◽  
Shijie Ren ◽  
Alexandra G. Ellis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Cost Effectiveness ◽  
Incremental Cost ◽  
Motor Function ◽  
Muscular Atrophy ◽  
Sensitivity Analyses ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Health States ◽  
Life Years ◽  
Term Data

Abstract Background Patients with infantile-onset spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), a rare, genetic neuromuscular disease, do not achieve key motor function milestones (e.g., sitting) and have short life expectancy in the absence of treatment. Nusinersen is a disease-modifying therapy for patients with SMA. Objective The aim of this study was to estimate the cost-effectiveness of nusinersen compared to best supportive care (BSC) in patients diagnosed with infantile-onset SMA in the US. Methods A de novo economic model was developed with the following health states: “permanent ventilation”, “not sitting”, “sitting”, “walking”, and “death”. Short-term data were sourced from the pivotal clinical trials and studies of nusinersen (ENDEAR and SHINE). Motor function milestones achieved at the end of follow-up in the clinical trials were assumed to be sustained until death. Mortality risks were based on survival modelling of relevant published Kaplan–Meier data. Costs, life years (LYs), and quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) were discounted at 3% per annum, and the analyses were performed from a US health care sector perspective. Scenario analyses and sensitivity analyses were conducted to assess the robustness of the results to key parameters. Results In our base-case analysis, nusinersen treatment achieves greater QALYs and more LYs (3.24 and 7.64, respectively) compared with BSC (0.46 QALYs and 2.40 LYs, respectively), resulting in an incremental cost per QALY gained of approximately $1,112,000 and an incremental cost per LY gained of $590,000 for nusinersen compared to BSC. The incremental cost effectiveness ratios did not fall below $990,000 per QALY gained in scenario and sensitivity analyses. Results were most sensitive to the length of survival, background health care costs, and utility in the “not sitting” and “sitting” health states. Conclusions The estimated incremental cost-effectiveness of nusinersen from a US health care sector perspective exceeded traditional cost-effectiveness thresholds. Cost-effectiveness was dependent on assumptions made regarding survival, costs, utilities, and whether the motor function milestones were sustained over lifetime. Given the relatively short-term effectiveness data available for the treatment, a registry to collect long-term data of infantile-onset SMA patients is recommended.

scholarly journals Cost-Effectiveness of Nusinersen and Universal Newborn Screening for Spinal Muscular Atrophy

2020 ◽  
Vol 227 ◽  
pp. 274-280.e2 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ali Jalali ◽  
Erin Rothwell ◽  
Jeffrey R. Botkin ◽  
Rebecca A. Anderson ◽  
Russell J. Butterfield ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cost Effectiveness ◽  
Spinal Muscular Atrophy ◽  
Newborn Screening ◽  
Muscular Atrophy
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