PharmacoEconomicsPub Date : 2026-04-01Epub Date: 2026-01-04DOI: 10.1007/s40273-025-01578-w
Yixin Xu, Elsa M R Marques, Nicky J Welton, Linda P Hunt, Michael Whitehouse, Ashley W Blom, Andrew D Beswick, Howard H Z Thom
{"title":"Spectrum of Models for Assessing the Cost Effectiveness of Total Knee Replacement Implants: A Comparison of Discrete-Time Cohort Markov and Continuous-Time Individual-Level Multistate Models.","authors":"Yixin Xu, Elsa M R Marques, Nicky J Welton, Linda P Hunt, Michael Whitehouse, Ashley W Blom, Andrew D Beswick, Howard H Z Thom","doi":"10.1007/s40273-025-01578-w","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s40273-025-01578-w","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and objective: </strong>A primary elective total knee replacement is routinely used for patients with advanced osteoarthritis. Knee implants differ in characteristics (constraint, fixation, mobility), costs, need for revisions and other health outcomes, and so models evaluating their relative cost effectiveness are required to optimise decision making. Economic modelling approaches differ in complexity, the simplest in use being discrete time Markov models (DTMMs). Continuous-time Markov models (CTMMs) can capture transition timing in finer detail, and can more flexibly relax the constant hazard assumption. Multistate microsimulation can more easily capture patient history and time dependence. This paper aims to explore how the choice of modelling approach influences the cost effectiveness of various implant types for a total knee replacement. Based on the frequency of implant use in the National Joint Registry, 12 commonly used implants were included in the analysis.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We compared four different models of increasing complexity for male and female individuals in five age categories undergoing a total knee replacement. The DTMM and constant hazard CTMM assumed fixed revision probabilities over time. The individual-level CTMM with splines were semi-Markov, allowing time-varying rates of first revision surgery. The multistate microsimulation incorporated time-dependent splines for all revision rates but also dependence on time spent in previous health states. All revision rates were estimated using data from the National Joint Registry. The models were implemented using the hesim package in R.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Under the constant hazard assumption, DTMM and CTMM yielded similar results, identifying the most commonly used implant as the most cost effective. However, using the spline-based hazard CTMM and patient history informed multistate microsimulation, other implants were identified as the most cost-effective options. The increased model complexity required high-performance computing facilities for CTMMs and multistate microsimulation.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>This study shows that the choice of model can impact cost-effectiveness results. The multistate microsimulation model, which incorporates time-dependent transitions, provides a realistic representation of patient pathways over time, but is computationally complex and may be preferable only when time-varying risks are a key factor. The CTMM or DTMM models may be more efficient when data are limited or computational resources are constrained. Improving the accuracy and applicability of economic models can improve healthcare decision making. Future research should extend these methodologies to other disease areas, refine continuous-time models and explore their impact across diverse healthcare contexts.</p>","PeriodicalId":19807,"journal":{"name":"PharmacoEconomics","volume":" ","pages":"477-494"},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145900816","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
PharmacoEconomicsPub Date : 2026-04-01Epub Date: 2025-07-26DOI: 10.1007/s40273-025-01526-8
Aku-Ville Lehtimäki, Janne Martikainen
{"title":"Microsimulation Modeling for Health Decision Sciences Using C++: A Tutorial.","authors":"Aku-Ville Lehtimäki, Janne Martikainen","doi":"10.1007/s40273-025-01526-8","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s40273-025-01526-8","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Microsimulation models have become increasingly common in the field of decision modeling for health. Because microsimulation models are computationally more demanding than traditional Markov cohort models, the use of computer programming languages in their development has become more common. C++ is a programming language that has gained widespread recognition in computationally intensive fields, including systems modeling and performance-critical applications. It offers powerful tools for building high-performance microsimulation models, outpacing many traditional modeling software solutions, such as native R, in terms of speed and control over memory management. However, there is limited accessible guidance for implementing microsimulation models in C++. This tutorial offers a step-by-step approach to constructing microsimulation models in C++ and demonstrates its application through simplified but adaptable example decision models. We walk the reader through essential steps and provide generic C++ code that is flexible and suitable for adapting to a range of models. Finally, we present the standalone C++ models and their Rcpp counterparts run within R, and compare their performance to equivalent R implementations in terms of speed and memory efficiency.</p>","PeriodicalId":19807,"journal":{"name":"PharmacoEconomics","volume":" ","pages":"379-387"},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13013250/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144732669","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
PharmacoEconomicsPub Date : 2026-04-01Epub Date: 2025-10-15DOI: 10.1007/s40273-025-01547-3
Evelien B van Well, Tim M Govers, Hendrik Koffijberg
{"title":"Comparing the Influence of Heterogeneity on Model Outcomes in Individual-Level and Cohort Simulations: An Exploratory Simulation Study.","authors":"Evelien B van Well, Tim M Govers, Hendrik Koffijberg","doi":"10.1007/s40273-025-01547-3","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s40273-025-01547-3","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>When developing health economic simulation models, individual-level and cohort state-transition model types are commonly used. However, heterogeneity and the extent to which it is taken into account is thought to affect simulation outcomes differently in individual-level and cohort simulations, even when model structures are identical.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>This study aimed to investigate the conditions under which the use of different model types may lead to different outcomes and therefore potentially different policy decisions.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A microsimulation model was used to reflect an individual-level simulation, simulating patient characteristics and, artificially, a cohort-level simulation of identical patients, using the exact same model structure. Four scenarios were analyzed: heterogeneity in age (scenario 1) influencing progression and recovery probabilities when on treatment, heterogeneity in sex (scenario 2) influencing progression and recovery probabilities when on treatment, combined heterogeneity in age and sex (scenario 3) influencing progression and recovery probabilities when on treatment, and heterogeneity in age when including age-dependent all-cause mortality (scenario 4). In every scenario, heterogeneity impact was varied, and health state occupancy, incremental costs, incremental effects, and the net monetary benefit of treatment versus no treatment were compared between the individual-level and cohort simulations.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>When introducing heterogeneity in age, sex, and age and sex combined, all scenarios showed differences between outcomes of individual-level and cohort simulations. However, these differences did not change the cost-effectiveness conclusions. When age influenced only age-dependent mortality, there were differences between the outcomes for the individual-level and cohort simulations when heterogeneity in age was introduced.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Patient heterogeneity can affect the outcomes of individual and cohort simulations differently, but reflecting more heterogeneity does not necessarily increase differences in simulation outcomes. However, age-dependent mortality affected analytic outcomes differently, suggesting a need for caution when developing cohort models if age is heterogeneous.</p>","PeriodicalId":19807,"journal":{"name":"PharmacoEconomics","volume":" ","pages":"429-437"},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13013307/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145293285","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
PharmacoEconomicsPub Date : 2026-04-01Epub Date: 2025-11-10DOI: 10.1007/s40273-025-01562-4
Niklaus Meier, Ana Cecilia Quiroga Gutierrez, Mark Pletscher, Matthias Schwenkglenks
{"title":"Individualized Treatment Rules Based on Cost-Effectiveness Criteria in Microsimulations.","authors":"Niklaus Meier, Ana Cecilia Quiroga Gutierrez, Mark Pletscher, Matthias Schwenkglenks","doi":"10.1007/s40273-025-01562-4","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s40273-025-01562-4","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and objective: </strong>In cost-effectiveness analysis, treatment decisions are analysed at the population level. Combinations of treatment strategies that account for the heterogeneity of costs and effects across patients can be more cost-effective than a \"one size fits all\" approach. Individualized treatment rules (ITRs) assign a specific treatment to every patient based on their relevant characteristics, such that overall cost-effectiveness is optimized, but do not include feasibility or ethical considerations. We propose an approach for the design of ITRs based on simulated patient data from microsimulation models using statistical learning techniques.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We mathematically define the optimal ITR and how to measure the value of an ITR in a cost-effectiveness context. We explore least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression, classification trees, and policy trees to illustrate how standard statistical learning techniques can be used to derive ITRs. We compare the strengths and limitations of these three approaches in terms of three criteria: the incremental value of the ITRs compared to optimal treatment assignment in terms of net monetary benefit (NMB), computational speed, and the interpretability of the ITRs. We propose methods to describe the impact of parameter uncertainty on the ITRs. We also explore how stochastic uncertainty can impact the ITR incremental value. We illustrate the methods by applying them to a microsimulation model for haemophilia B comparing four treatment strategies as a case study. The relevant patient characteristics in this model are the annualized bleeding rate, age, and sex.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>In our case study, a simple two-layer-deep classification tree is best suited based on the three criteria. This classification tree allocates treatments depending on whether the annualized bleeding rate of a patient is above or below 30 and whether their age is above or below 51. The optimal threshold values are uncertain based on the 95% credible ranges from the probabilistic analysis: 21-46 for annualized bleeding rate and 42-56 for age. Scenarios show that stochastic uncertainty has an impact on the incremental value of the ITR.</p><p><strong>Discussion: </strong>Based on methodological considerations and the empirical findings in our case study, we expect the superiority of classification trees for the derivation of ITRs to be generalizable to other microsimulation models. This finding needs to be confirmed in future applications. Stochastic uncertainty has significant impacts on the ITRs, such that accurate representations of individual patient pathways are particularly crucial when designing ITRs. Future research could explore further empirical models and analytical approaches for ITRs or consider the translation of ITRs into the real-world decision-making context.</p>","PeriodicalId":19807,"journal":{"name":"PharmacoEconomics","volume":" ","pages":"439-450"},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13013149/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145482632","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
PharmacoEconomicsPub Date : 2026-04-01Epub Date: 2026-01-23DOI: 10.1007/s40273-025-01571-3
Selina Pi, Carolyn M Rutter, Carlos Pineda-Antunez, Jonathan H Chen, Jeremy D Goldhaber-Fiebert, Fernando Alarid-Escudero
{"title":"Discrete-Event Simulation Modeling Framework for Cancer Interventions and Population Health in R (DESCIPHR): An Open-Source Pipeline.","authors":"Selina Pi, Carolyn M Rutter, Carlos Pineda-Antunez, Jonathan H Chen, Jeremy D Goldhaber-Fiebert, Fernando Alarid-Escudero","doi":"10.1007/s40273-025-01571-3","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s40273-025-01571-3","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Simulation models inform health policy decisions by integrating data from multiple sources and forecasting outcomes when there is a lack of comprehensive evidence from empirical studies. Such models have long supported health policy for cancer, the first or second leading cause of death in over 100 countries. Discrete-event simulation (DES) and Bayesian calibration have gained traction in the field of decision science because they enable flexible modeling of complex health conditions and produce estimates of model parameters that reflect real-world disease epidemiology and data uncertainty given model constraints. This uncertainty is then propagated to model-generated outputs, enabling decision-makers to assess confidence in recommendations and estimate the value of collecting additional information. However, there is limited end-to-end guidance on structuring a DES model for cancer progression, estimating its parameters using Bayesian calibration, and applying the calibration outputs to policy evaluation. To fill this gap, we introduce the DES Modeling Framework for Cancer Interventions and Population Health in R (DESCIPHR), an open-source codebase integrating a flexible DES model for the natural history of cancer, Bayesian calibration for parameter estimation, and an example application of screening strategy evaluation. To illustrate the framework, we apply DESCIPHR to calibrate bladder and colorectal cancer models to real-world cancer registry targets. We also introduce an automated method for generating data-informed parameter prior distributions and increase the functionality of a neural network emulator-based Bayesian calibration algorithm. We anticipate that the adaptable DESCIPHR modeling template will facilitate the construction of future decision models evaluating the risks and benefits of health interventions.</p>","PeriodicalId":19807,"journal":{"name":"PharmacoEconomics","volume":" ","pages":"409-427"},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13013340/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146030615","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
PharmacoEconomicsPub Date : 2026-04-01Epub Date: 2026-02-09DOI: 10.1007/s40273-025-01581-1
Gonçalo Leiria, R Brett McQueen, Conner Jackson, Marian Rewers, William A Hagopian, Richard A Oram, Jonathan E Fieldsend, Lauric A Ferrat
{"title":"Development of a Patient-Level Multi-objective Optimisation Model for Screening Strategies for Childhood Type 1 Diabetes.","authors":"Gonçalo Leiria, R Brett McQueen, Conner Jackson, Marian Rewers, William A Hagopian, Richard A Oram, Jonathan E Fieldsend, Lauric A Ferrat","doi":"10.1007/s40273-025-01581-1","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s40273-025-01581-1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>To develop a patient-level simulation model of type 1 diabetes (T1D) covering both childhood and adulthood. The goal is to identify and evaluate the cost-effectiveness of optimal screening for pre-symptomatic T1D.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We developed a Python-based simulation model to track 100,000 participants screened in childhood, capturing a subset of those at risk and transitioning to T1D, to estimate the incremental cost-effectiveness per life year gained of screening versus no screening. Our multi-objective optimisation approach sought to minimise three objectives: incremental cost effectiveness ratio, diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) events at onset and the maximum number of screening tests a child can have with the healthcare system. The NSGA-II algorithm is used to explore the set of possible screening strategies from combinations of genetic risk score (GRS) and islet autoantibody (IA) measurements at different ages and frequencies during the first 15 years of life. Data for transition probabilities include large scale screening studies such as The Environmental Determinants of Diabetes in the Young, TrialNet, published risk functions, clinical trials and epidemiologic studies.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>We illustrate the use of multi-objective optimisation in patient-level simulations by estimating an optimal subset of T1D screening strategies in the USA. We identify four screening strategies with incremental cost-effectiveness ratios that meet commonly cited cost-effectiveness thresholds, which require, respectively, a maximum of 1, 2 3 and 4 islet autoantibody (IA) tests.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>This article and corresponding model code can be used as a reference for implementing a multi-objective optimisation pipeline in patient-level simulation models.</p>","PeriodicalId":19807,"journal":{"name":"PharmacoEconomics","volume":" ","pages":"495-507"},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146143268","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
PharmacoEconomicsPub Date : 2026-04-01Epub Date: 2025-11-28DOI: 10.1007/s40273-025-01560-6
Ziyi Lin, Andrew Briggs
{"title":"Beyond the States: Developing a Discrete Event Simulation Model Using R.","authors":"Ziyi Lin, Andrew Briggs","doi":"10.1007/s40273-025-01560-6","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s40273-025-01560-6","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This illustration uses the Scottish Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) Policy Model as a case study to provide a comprehensive, step-by-step guide to building a discrete event simulation (DES) model in R. It is specifically designed for practitioners who are familiar with constructing Markov models in R and wish to transition their theoretical knowledge of DES into practical implementation. The Scottish CVD Policy Model was originally developed as an Excel-based Markov model with a sophisticated structure: a primary Markov model for first events and nested sub-Markov models for subsequent events. Later replicated in R by Xin, Yiqiao et al., the model's source code was made publicly available on GitHub, underscoring its potential as a teaching tool. The intricate structure of this model presents several challenges in health economic modeling, making it an ideal candidate for demonstrating how DES techniques can address such complexities effectively. In this illustration, we deliberately avoid using R packages developed specifically for DES to enhance transparency. Instead, we rely on base R functions, and the tidyverse package for tidy data wrangling. This approach ensures that every step of the DES implementation is clear and reproducible. In addition to covering fundamental topics such as how to simulate a time to event according to an assumed distribution, and continuous discounting, the illustration also provides solutions to more advanced modeling challenges, such as handling piecewise-modeled cost and utility. By discussing both general principles and complex scenarios, this paper equips readers with the practical tools needed to transition from Markov to DES frameworks, enhancing the accuracy and flexibility of health economic evaluations.</p>","PeriodicalId":19807,"journal":{"name":"PharmacoEconomics","volume":" ","pages":"389-408"},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13013218/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145637170","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
PharmacoEconomicsPub Date : 2026-03-28DOI: 10.1007/s40273-026-01610-7
Erik Landfeldt, Maria Åberg, Luca Bello, Valérie Deroo, Alfred Peter Born, Silene Giusti, Anne-Berit Ekström
{"title":"The Economic Burden of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy: A Systematic Review.","authors":"Erik Landfeldt, Maria Åberg, Luca Bello, Valérie Deroo, Alfred Peter Born, Silene Giusti, Anne-Berit Ekström","doi":"10.1007/s40273-026-01610-7","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s40273-026-01610-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a rare, progressive, severely disabling and ultimately fatal genetic neuromuscular disease requiring lifelong multidisciplinary clinical care and support. The objective of this study was to conduct a systematic review and synthesis of estimates of costs of illness of DMD.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>In this systematic review (International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews [PROSPERO] identifier: CRD420251153340), we searched PubMed, MEDLINE, Embase, the Health Technology Assessment Database, and the National Health Service Economic Evaluation Database for studies reporting costs of DMD. Risk of bias was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa scale.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>We identified 19 publications involving 6993 children and adults with DMD from 14 countries (Australia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Denmark, Egypt, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, the UK, and the USA). Across studies and strata, the mean per-patient annual direct medical cost of illness (in 2025 international US dollars) was estimated at between $2620 and $209,980, the mean per-patient annual direct nonmedical cost between $5670 and $103,800, and the mean per-patient annual indirect (productivity) cost between $400 and $48,390. Most studies exhibited some risk of bias.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>DMD is associated with a substantial economic burden related to the formal disease management, as well as extensive informal care and indirect (productivity) costs shouldered by parents and other nonprofessional caregivers. Although relatively well-captured for a few countries, comprehensive cost data are lacking for many geographical settings. Our portfolio of costs of DMD will help inform assessments of burden of illness, health technology evaluations of new therapies, and data gap analyses for future research.</p>","PeriodicalId":19807,"journal":{"name":"PharmacoEconomics","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2026-03-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147575132","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
PharmacoEconomicsPub Date : 2026-03-23DOI: 10.1007/s40273-026-01586-4
Jamaica Roanne Briones, Jia Hui Chai, Yaroslava Zemlyanska, Elaine Lo, E Shyong Tai, Hwee Lin Wee, J Jaime Caro
{"title":"Economic Evaluation of Pre-emptive Pharmacogenetic Panel Testing versus No Genetic Testing in a Multi-ethnic Asian Population.","authors":"Jamaica Roanne Briones, Jia Hui Chai, Yaroslava Zemlyanska, Elaine Lo, E Shyong Tai, Hwee Lin Wee, J Jaime Caro","doi":"10.1007/s40273-026-01586-4","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s40273-026-01586-4","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and objective: </strong>The cost-utility of a panel-based pre-emptive pharmacogenomic (PPGx) test has not been evaluated in a multi-ethnic Asian population. Prior studies have largely focused on reactive, single drug-gene tests. This study assessed the cost-utility of a PPGx panel test and identified key drivers influencing its economic value.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We developed a prioritization framework integrating clinical and economic criteria to select drug-gene pairs for economic analysis. Cost-utility analysis was conducted using Discretely Integrated Condition Event (DICE) simulation, which allowed simultaneous analysis of multiple diseases and treatments of varying duration. The analysis focused on a hypothetical cohort of healthy 40-year-old Singaporeans and assessed the lifetime impact of a one-time panel test on outcomes such as disease occurrence and serious adverse drug events (ADE). Costs were evaluated from a healthcare payer's perspective and reported in 2024 Singapore dollars (S$). Both costs and health outcomes were discounted at 3% annually. Deterministic, probabilistic, and scenario analyses were performed to address uncertainty.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong> Four drug-gene pairs were selected: clopidogrel-CYP2C19, capecitabine-DPYD, allopurinol-HLA-B*58:01, and simvastatin-SLCO1B1. In the base case, panel testing was dominant, resulting in savings of S$37,600 and gain of 9.32 quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) per 1000 individuals compared with no PGx testing. Results were sensitive to drug costs, ADE-related costs, and the age for panel administration. Ideal drug-gene pairs for panel inclusion involve commonly prescribed drugs with variants associated with severe ADEs, where genotype-guided alternatives (e.g., dose adjustment or switching therapy) have costs comparable to standard care.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Pre-emptive PGx panel testing is economically viable when panel design, variant prevalence, drug costs, and local prescribing patterns are carefully considered. As more data become available, the model can be tailored to evaluate additional drug-gene pairs and their downstream consequences.</p>","PeriodicalId":19807,"journal":{"name":"PharmacoEconomics","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2026-03-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147504625","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
PharmacoEconomicsPub Date : 2026-03-22DOI: 10.1007/s40273-026-01611-6
Josep Darbà, Meritxell Ascanio, Antonio Rodríguez
{"title":"Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD): Systematic Review of the Cost Effectiveness of SGLT2 Inhibitors and Other Novel Nephroprotective Drugs.","authors":"Josep Darbà, Meritxell Ascanio, Antonio Rodríguez","doi":"10.1007/s40273-026-01611-6","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s40273-026-01611-6","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a major global cause of morbidity and mortality. Recent nephroprotective therapies have improved CKD management, yet their cost effectiveness across settings remains uncertain. This review systematically identified and compared cost-effectiveness studies of novel CKD treatments for both broad CKD populations and disease-specific subgroups.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A systematic search was conducted in PubMed and the Cochrane Library using terms related to \"chronic kidney disease,\" \"cost-effectiveness,\" \"cost-utility,\" \"health technology assessment,\" \"SGLT2 inhibitor,\" and commercial and generic names of nephroprotective drugs approved since 2013. Eligible studies were full-length articles in English published between January 2015 and September 2025. Costs, quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs), and incremental cost-effectiveness ratios were extracted. All monetary values were standardized to 2025 US dollars.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The search yielded 172 records, of which 26 met inclusion criteria. A supplementary search identified ten additional studies, resulting in 36 evaluations. Most studies assessed sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors or finerenone. Across evaluations, these therapies consistently improved outcomes, with QALY gains reported in all studies (0.012-1.44 QALYs gained). Most concluded that the interventions were cost effective compared with standard of care, and 13 reported cost-saving results. Only three studies reported an incremental cost-efffectiveness ratio above $100,000 per QALY threshold. Cost effectiveness was observed in both general CKD and CKD with diabetes mellitus, although estimates varied by country, time horizon, and analytic perspective.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Current evidence indicates that novel nephroprotective therapies for CKD are generally cost effective, and in some settings cost saving. These findings support their value in both general CKD and diabetic populations and highlight the importance of early treatment adoption to delay disease progression and reduce long-term healthcare costs.</p>","PeriodicalId":19807,"journal":{"name":"PharmacoEconomics","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2026-03-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147499190","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}