Key result
Adding vericiguat in HFrEF increases 5-year healthcare costs by <1%, largely offset by fewer hospitalizations.
Why the study?
Chronic heart failure places a significant burden on healthcare resources, and the budgetary impact of introducing vericiguat as an add-on therapy for chronic HFrEF after a worsening event in Japan had not been evaluated.
Does adding vericiguat to standard of care impact the healthcare budget for treating chronic HFrEF following a worsening event in Japan?
Does adding vericiguat to standard of care impact the healthcare budget for treating chronic HFrEF following a worsening event in Japan?
Introducing vericiguat as an add-on therapy for chronic HFrEF in Japan is estimated to have a minimal budget impact (<1% increase over 5 years), as drug costs are largely offset by reductions in acute care expenses.
Minimal budget impact supports affordability in Japan; modeling leaves real-world offsets and adoption open.
Background: Chronic heart failure (CHF) affects millions worldwide, posing a significant burden on healthcare resources. For patients with HF with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) following a worsening event, vericiguat is a promising new treatment. In this study we evaluated the budgetary impact on Japan's health system with the introduction of vericiguat as an add-on to standard of care (SoC) for chronic HFrEF after a worsening event. Methods and Results: An economic model was developed comparing SoC to a scenario in which vericiguat is introduced as an add-on therapy over a 5-year time horizon. A literature review, medical claims data and clinical trial data were used to derive inputs. Total healthcare costs after introducing vericiguat were estimated to increase <1% over 5 years compared to the SoC scenario showing a cumulated budget impact of US$41,027,304. Increases were driven by drug and medical costs, but were partially offset by decreasing costs for hospitalizations, terminal care, and urgent HF visits. In the sensitivity analyses, the hospitalization rate had the largest effect on the overall budget impact. Conclusions: This analysis highlighted the minimal budgetary impact of vericiguat and its potential to reduce hospitalizations in Japan. Although drug and monitoring costs increased, reductions in acute care expenses helped offset these costs. Further research is needed on long-term cost-effectiveness and real-world outcomes.
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Kuwahara et al. (2025) studied Chronic heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) (n=104,677). Vericiguat vs. Standard of care alone was evaluated on Cumulative budget impact over 5 years ($41,027,304 increase). Introducing vericiguat as an add-on to standard of care for chronic HFrEF in Japan was estimated to increase total healthcare costs by less than 1% ($41,027,304) over 5 years, as drug costs were largely offset by reduced hospitalizations.
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