Cost-effectiveness analysis of ferric carboxymaltose in iron-deficient patients with chronic heart failure in Sweden

OBJECTIVE: Iron deficiency is a common but treatable comorbidity in chronic heart failure (CHF) that is associated with impaired health-related quality-of-life (HRQoL). This study evaluates the cost-effectiveness of the intravenous iron preparation ferric carboxymaltose (FCM) for the treatment of iron deficiency in CHF from a Swedish healthcare perspective. METHODS: A cost-effectiveness analysis with a time horizon of 24 weeks was performed to compare FCM treatment with placebo. Data on health outcomes and medical resource use were mainly taken from the FAIR-HF trial and combined with Swedish cost data. An incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) was calculated as well as the change in per-patient costs for primary care and hospital care. RESULTS: In the FCM group compared with placebo, quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) are higher (difference = 0.037 QALYs), but so are per-patient costs (difference = SEK 2789 (€303). Primary care and hospital care equally share the additional costs, but within hospitals there is a major shift of costs from inpatient care to outpatient care. The ICER is SEK 75,389 (€8194) per QALY. The robustness of the result is supported by sensitivity analyses. CONCLUSIONS: Treatment of iron deficiency in CHF with FCM compared with placebo is estimated to be cost-effective. The ICER in the base case scenario is twice as high as previously thought, but noticeably below SEK 500,000 (€54,300) per QALY, an informal average reference value used by the Swedish Dental and Pharmaceutical Benefits Agency. Increased HRQoL and fewer hospitalizations are the key drivers of this result.