Economic and social aspects of pituitary dwarfism treatment with recombinant growth hormone

Abstract

Rationale. Pituitary dwarfism is an orphan disease requiring pathogenetic treatment. The domestic literature lacks studies devoted to the medical and economic effectiveness of treatment for growth hormone deficiency (GHD) using recombinant growth hormone (rGH) drugs.
 Aim. To analyze the cost effectiveness of rGH therapy in GHD children in the Russian Federation under the Program «7 High-Cost Nosologies».
 Material and methods. We analyzed data of 50 GHD children living in 4 regions of the Russian Federation and receiving rGH therapy under the Program «7 High-Cost Nosologies». We evaluated the amount of drug consumption and the economic component: the cost of treatment and monitoring for ≥ 6 years. The incremental cost was calculated as the difference between a program providing a GHD child with rGH treatment and monitoring and an alternative program providing a GHD child with financial and social assistance and medical examination.
 Results. The median cost of treatment of a single child with rGH at a dose of 0.033 mg/kg/day was 437.5 thousand rubles or 8.12 thousand US dollars for the entire analyzed period (mean, 6.95 years). The median cost of treatment per child per year was 63.6 thousand rubles/year or 1.09 thousand USD/year. Given the cost of treatment and monitoring, the integrated management of one patient cost 68.4 thousand rubles per year (470.7 thousand rubles for 6.95 years), on average, with monitoring accounting for 7.05%. The total cost of all benefits and examinations for one disabled child was 178.97 thousand rubles per year or 1,243.86 thousand rubles for 6.95 years (medical examinations accounted for 1.2%). Upon calculating the cost difference between the program providing a GHD child with treatment and monitoring and the alternative program when a GHD child was not provided with treatment, but received appropriate disability payments and medical examination, the incremental cost amounted to 110.6 thousand rubles per child per year (773.18 thousand rubles for 6.95 years).
 Conclusion. The study demonstrates that treatment of GHD children under Program «7 High-Cost Nosologies» is cost-effective for both the patient and society and the state in general. For example, the incremental cost between the two programs is 110.6 thousand rubles for a year or 773.18 thousand rubles for 6.95 years. The study results indicate the importance of thorough analysis of the effects and costs in assessing the effectiveness of medical programs, especially in the case of orphan diseases.