Cost-effectiveness of Azvudine for High-risk Outpatients with Mild-to-moderate Coronavirus Disease 2019 in China

Purpose

This study aimed to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of Azvudine for the treatment of mild-to-moderate coronavirus disease 2019 in high-risk outpatients using real-world data and relevant references.

Methods

In the decision-tree model, 2 cohorts were organized in a single center to compare the cost-effectiveness between the Azvudine plus symptomatic treatment group and the symptomatic treatment group. We calculated the cost and mortality rate for both groups. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio was used to illustrate the cost-effectiveness. To assess the uncertainty of the model parameters, we conducted 1-way and probabilistic sensitivity analyses.

Findings

In total, there were 804 outpatients included in the model. Among these, 317 patients received Azvudine plus symptomatic treatment, whereas the remaining 487 participants were treated with symptomatic treatment alone. The costs in the Azvudine and control groups were 1055.48 yuan and 2466.97 yuan and the survival rates were 100.00% and 98.70%, respectively. After calculation, the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio was determined to be −108,817.48 yuan per person. In the section of 1-way and probabilistic sensitivity analyses, Azvudine was still proven to be cost-effective.

Implications

Our results support the usage of Azvudine for the treatment of high-risk outpatients with mild-to-moderate coronavirus disease 2019 from economic perspective.