Economic evaluation in Sweden of epoetin beta with intravenous iron supplementation in anaemic patients with lymphoproliferative malignancies not receiving chemotherapy.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Functional iron deficiency is one reason for lack of response to erythropoietin treatment. Concomitant intravenous (IV) iron supplementation has the potential to improve response to erythropoietin, allowing a decrease in erythropoietin dose requirements. In a recent study of anaemic, iron-replete patients with lymphoproliferative malignancies (Leukemia, 21, 2007, 627), the haemoglobin (Hb) increase and response rate were significantly greater in patients receiving epoetin beta with concomitant IV iron compared with patients receiving epoetin beta without IV iron (P < 0.05). The present analysis aimed to investigate whether a combination of epoetin beta and IV iron is cost-effective compared with epoetin beta without IV iron.

METHODS: This analysis was performed from a Swedish societal perspective as a within-trial evaluation of overall costs (based on differences in drug costs and resource use between groups) and effect (differences in Hb increases) during 16 weeks' treatment with epoetin beta with or without concomitant IV iron.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: There was an improved response to epoetin beta with IV iron therapy and an almost 2-fold greater increase in Hb levels. Overall mean cost per patient in the epoetin beta with IV iron group was euro5558 and in the epoetin beta without IV iron group was euro6228. Thus, treatment with epoetin beta with IV iron resulted in overall cost savings of about 11% compared with epoetin beta without iron, mainly due to reduced erythropoietin dosages.

CONCLUSION: Epoetin beta with concomitant IV iron in anaemic patients with lymphoproliferative malignancies not receiving chemotherapy resulted in better outcomes at lower cost compared with epoetin beta without iron. This suggests that epoetin beta with IV iron is a dominant therapy from a Swedish perspective.