Estimating the social value of G-CSF therapies in the United States.

OBJECTIVES: To provide a comprehensive estimate of the total social value (TSV) delivered by granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) therapies in the United States in 2014.

STUDY DESIGN: Estimation of the TSV of G-CSF, based on a targeted literature review of pivotal studies.

METHODS: A literature review was conducted to obtain estimates of the adverse outcomes associated with myelosuppressive chemotherapy-induced febrile neutropenia (FN) and the positive impacts of G-CSFs. We monetized each outcome into a set of mutually exclusive value components that were aggregated to estimate the TSV. To estimate the share of TSV captured by manufacturers, we estimated 2014 profits from G-CSF using measures of industry revenues and operating costs.

RESULTS: In 2014, approximately 314,440 patients received G-CSFs. Compared with what they would have experienced without G-CSFs, these patients were less likely to be hospitalized or die from FN, incur reductions in chemotherapy relative dose intensity, receive antibiotics, miss work, or experience reduced health-related quality of life. We estimated the social value from fewer FN hospitalizations to be $770 million; from fewer FN-related deaths, $2.65 billion; from fewer deaths due to higher effective chemotherapy doses, $4.83 billion; from reductions in antibiotics, $2.3 million; from reductions in indirect costs, $230 million; and from improvements in health-related quality of life, $1.9 million. The estimated 2014 US TSV of G-CSFs was $8.5 billion. Industry profits associated with G-CSFs were estimated at $1.3 billion, accounting for approximately 15% of the TSV.

CONCLUSIONS: Based on our calculations, the TSV generated by G-CSFs in the United States in 2014 was substantial, with the majority of this value accruing to patients.