Cost-effectiveness of Evolocumab Therapy for Reducing Cardiovascular Events in Patients With Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease

IMPORTANCE The proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 inhibitor evolocumab has been demonstrated to reduce the composite of myocardial infarction, stroke, or cardiovascular death in patients with established atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. To our knowledge, long-term cost-effectiveness of this therapy has not been evaluated using clinical trial efficacy data. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of evolocumab in patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease when added to standard background therapy. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS A Markov cohort state-transition model was used, integrating US population-specific demographics, risk factors, background therapy, and event rates along with trial-based event risk reduction. Costs, including price of drug, utilities, and transitional probabilities, were included from published sources. EXPOSURES Addition of evolocumab to standard background therapy including statins. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Cardiovascular events including myocardial infarction, ischemic stroke and cardiovascular death, quality-adjusted life-year (QALY), incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER), and net value-based price. RESULTS In the base case, using US clinical practice patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease with low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels of at least 70mg/dL (to convert to millimoles per liter, multiply by 0.0259) and an annual events rate of 6.4 per 100 patient-years, evolocumab was associated with increased cost and improved QALY: incremental cost, $ 105 398; incremental QALY, 0.39, with an ICER of $ 268 637 per QALY gained ($ 165 689 with discounted price of $ 10 311 based on mean rebate of 29% for branded pharmaceuticals). Sensitivity and scenario analyses demonstrated ICERs ranging from $ 100 193 to $ 488 642 per QALY, with ICER of $ 413 579 per QALY for trial patient characteristics and event rate of 4.2 per 100 patient-years ($ 270 192 with discounted price of $ 10 311) and $ 483 800 if no cardiovascular mortality reduction emerges. Evolocumab treatment exceeded $ 150 000 per QALY in most scenarios but would meet this threshold at an annual net price of $ 9669 ($ 6780 for the trial participants) or with the discounted net price of $ 10 311 in patients with low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels of at least 80mg/dL. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE At its current list price of $ 14 523, the addition of evolocumab to standard background therapy in patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease exceeds generally accepted cost-effectiveness thresholds. To achieve an ICER of $ 150 000 per QALY, the annual net price would need to be substantially lower ($ 9669 for US clinical practice and $ 6780 for trial participants), or a higher-risk population would need to be treated.