Affording Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors (ICI) in the treatment of advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC): Argentinean National Cancer Institute (ANCI) perspective.

Abstract

e19404 Background: ICI agents proved clinical effectiveness in metastatic NSCLC; irrespectively PDL1 expression, but they increase costs considerably. Thus its cost-effectiveness (CE) needs to be established in low and middle-income countries. We aimed to assess CE of Pembrolizumab plus carboplatin and pemetrexed (PCP) vs. carboplatin and pemetrexed (CP) in the first-line setting for non-squamous NSCLC, according to PDL1expresion, in Argentinian public healthcare system (APHS). Methods: Clinical outcomes, utilities, and transition probabilities were collected from the available literature (Keynote 189/024) after a systematic review. The certainty of evidence according to GRADE methodology was qualified as high. A Markov model was developed. Model outcomes were measured in quality adjusted-life-years (QALY) and CE was estimated as the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) over a 20 years time horizon. Only direct costs were considered from a public price database of the drugs accounted in the model. The WHO ICER threshold, defined as 1-3 GDP per capita, was selected to established CE. Sensitivity analyses were performed to assess the robustness of results. Results: In PDL1≥ 50 % subgroup, PCP increased life expectancy of patients by 1.06 QALY for an incremental cost of USD 71.551 vs. CP with an ICER of 67.352 per QALY. An indirect comparison of PCP vs. Pembolizumab monotherapy found no differences in QALY estimates, however, it was associated with an incremental cost of USD 5.516. QALY estimate for PDL1 1-49% was 0.73 with an ICER of USD 85.984/ QALY gained. PDL1 < 1% obtained a QALY of 0.42 related to the largest ICER (USD 97.095) for the same comparison. The sensitivity analyses using a threshold between 1- 3 Argentinian GDP per capita in 2018 (USD 11.8602) found that PCP has no chance of being considered CE in untreated NSCLC patients. If a 6 GDP threshold is adopted in PDL1≥ 50 %, PCP would have a 50% possibility of being CE. Conclusions: This model was part of the decision-making process in the development of treatment guidelines for metastatic NSCLC in the ANCI. PCP cannot be considered acceptable for the APHS. Strategies to reduce costs are mandatory to improve affordability in our region.