Cost of preventing an event (COPE) comparison between the association of cobimetinib and vemurafenib among other treatment options for metastatic melanoma with BRAF V600 Mutation

Abstract

Objective: Melanoma is a type of skin cancer with poor prognosis due to its high potential for metastasis and lethality. Some international guidelines recommend the combination of BRAF and MEK protein kinase pathway inhibitors for the first line treatment of metastatic or unresectable melanoma with BRAF V600 positive mutation. One study demonstrated that in terms of PFS, the combination of cobimetinib + vemurafenib was the first line therapeutic option that provided the lowest number needed to treat (NNT) for BRAF V600 mutated metastatic melanoma. The objective of this analysis was to evaluate the cost of preventing and event (COPE) of cobimetinib in combination with vemurafenib in the treatment of unresectable or metastatic melanoma, positive for BRAF V600 mutations. Methods: The economic analysis adopted the perspective of the Brazilian Supplementary Health System. The comparators evaluated were vemurafenib monotherapy, dabrafenib + trametinib, nivolumabe and ipilimumab. COPE was obtained from the NNT product, based on 12-month progression-free survival (PFS), reported by Ho et al., and the cost of treatment considering medication acquisition costs and adverse event management. Results: The greater efficiency of the combination of cobimetinib and vemurafenib was able to provide the lowest COPE (R$ 1,204,229) among all comparators of the analysis, demonstrating that with a lower number of treated patients a case of success was observed with the combination therapy, even if it presents a higher annual cost of treatment (R$ 626,477). Conclusion: The combination of cobimetinib and vemurafenib was the most efficient in terms of NNT and COPE for previously untreated metastatic melanoma.