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Purpose:
To estimate the cost-effectiveness of using faricimab for the treatment of diabetic macular edema (DME) and neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) in Colombia.
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Methods:
This study used a Markov cohort model to estimate the cost-effectiveness of faricimab compared to aflibercept, ranibizumab, and brolucizumab in adult patients with DME and nAMD. Healthcare resource use and costs were estimated using local HTA guidelines. Drug prices were retrieved from public local databases. The price for faricimab was informed by the manufacturer.. Quality Adjusted Life Years (QALYs) were the primary outcome. Transition probabilities and injection frequencies were derived from clinical trials and network meta-analyses.
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Results:
Faricimab generated additional QALYs (0.22 vs. aflibercept, 0.55 vs. ranibizumab, and 0.06 vs. brolucizumab for DME; 0.12 vs. aflibercept, 0.05 vs. ranibizumab, and 0.12 vs. brolucizumab for nAMD) and was associated with lower costs (USD 3,849 vs. aflibercept, USD 1,375 vs. ranibizumab, and USD 2,824 vs. brolucizumab for DME; USD 7,226 vs. aflibercept, USD 5,795 vs. ranibizumab, and USD 6,801 vs. brolucizumab for nAMD [1 USD = 4,325 COP]) over a 25-year horizon.Faricimab required 10.2, 10.2, and 4.3 fewer injections than aflibercept, ranibizumab, and brolucizumab in DME and -32.3, -24.7 and, -16.3 injections in nAMD.
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Conclusions:
Faricimab is a dominant treatment strategy for both DME and nAMD in Colombia, providing better health outcomes at lower costs compared to aflibercept, ranibizumab, and brolucizumab. It reduces the treatment burden and improves health-related quality of life by decreasing the number of injections required and generating higher QALYs.