Red blood cells flowing through a blood vessel, depicted in a detailed, realistic 3D illustration with a tunnel-like view inside the vessel.

Real-world cost-effectiveness of primary prophylaxis with G-CSF biosimilars in patients at intermediate/high risk of febrile neutropenia

Authors: P Cornes, J Kelton, R Liu, O Zaidi, J Stephens, J Yang

Published: Future oncology (London, England), 2022

Background

Real-world data suggests superiority of pegfilgrastim (PEG) over filgrastim (FIL) in reducing the incidence of chemotherapy-induced febrile neutropenia (FN), probably attributable to underdosed FIL in practice. We used real-world data to assess the cost-effectiveness of primary prophylaxis with PEG versus FIL in cancer patients at intermediate-to-high risk of FN from a US payer perspective. 

Methods

A Markov model with lifetime horizon.

Results

For the high-risk group, PEG (vs FIL) biosimilars resulted in 0.43 FN events prevented (FNp), 0.27 quality-adjusted life-years gained (QALYg) and a cost saving of USD$5703. For the intermediate-risk group, PEG biosimilar led to 0.18 FNp and 0.12 QALYg, at USD$9674/FNp and USD$14,502/QALYg. 

Conclusion

PEG biosimilars may provide opportunities to optimize FN management in patients with intermediate-to-high FN risk.