Budget impact analysis of the adoption of natalizumab as first-line treatment of highly active relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis from a Brazilian private payer perspective

Abstract

Objetivos: The goals of this study are to evaluate the cost of a multiple sclerosis relapse and the budget impact of adopting natalizumab as first-line therapy for HARRMS, both from a private payer perspective. Methods: For calculating the cost of a relapse, two approaches were adopted: for relapses not resulting in hospitalizations, a research with 33 physicians was made to obtain resource utilization data. Microcosting was performed using public data sources. For calculating costs of relapses leading to hospitalizations, we analyzed a claims database. To calculate the budget impact of adopting natalizumab as per its label indication, we built a prevalence-based model. The following costs were included: drug acquisition, drug infusion and relapses costs. The relapses rates for natalizumab and its comparators present in the public system were calculated based on clinical trials and meta-analysis. The base case was calculated assuming a hypothetical payer covering one hundred lives in the southeastern region of Brazil. Sensitivity analysis was performed. Results: The calculated relapse cost was R$ 14,157.21. The calculated budget impact for adopting natalizumab for HARRMS was R$ 0.64 per person per year, or 0.02% of the payer’s healthcare expenditures, or 0.02% of its revenue. The sensibility analysis confirmed that the budget impact does not reach one real per person per year and does not exceed 0.03% of healthcare expenses. Conclusion: Given the high clinical benefits of adopting Tysabri, its budget impact can be considered low. The results might be overestimated, since disability progression costs were not accounted in the calculations.