TLC-NOSF dressings versus standard of care for the treatment of diabetic foot ulcers in Vietnam: an economic evaluation.

Abstract

Objective: This economic evaluation compares two treatment strategies for patients with a diabetic foot ulcer (DFU): a lipido-colloid technology with nano-oligosaccharide factor (TLC-NOSF) dressing versus standard of care (SoC) over a one-year time horizon from the Vietnamese healthcare payer perspective.

Method: A Markov microsimulation model was developed to simulate weekly progression of DFUs over one year, comparing two treatment strategies. Using a willingness-to-pay threshold of VND 305.7 million (equivalent to [Formula: see text]12,202 USD at the time of writing), the model included base-case, one-way, and probabilistic sensitivity analyses. Clinical inputs came from the Explorer trial and real-world data; cost data from Vietnamese studies and national sources. A budget impact analysis assessed the financial impact of UrgoStart (in either foam or contact forms, Laboratoires URGO, France) reimbursement on Vietnam Social Security (VSS).

Results: Based on the base-case analysis, from the Vietnamese payer perspective, UrgoStart Foam and UrgoStart Contact each provided a gain of 0.0222 quality-adjusted life years, with cost savings of [Formula: see text]25.70 USD and [Formula: see text]163.60 USD per patient, respectively, indicating both were dominant over SoC. The results were underlined by both one-way sensitivity analysis and probabilistic sensitivity analysis, where all scenarios showed that TLC-NOSF dressings were cost-effective compared with SoC. Budget impact analysis showed that the reimbursement for the TLC-NOSF dressing was forecast to save the VSS budget approximately [Formula: see text]11,997,965 USD over five years (2024-2028).

Conclusion: In this economic evaluation, TLC-NOSF dressings were cost-effective compared with SoC over a one-year time horizon from the Vietnamese healthcare payer perspective and could help save millions of dollars for the VSS budget. The finding supports the making of changes to the reimbursement policy to enable patients to access optimal therapy.