Rivaroxaban was dominant over LMWH/VKA therapy for VTE treatment, yielding lifetime health gains of 0.047 QALYs and cost savings of €304 from a Dutch societal perspective.
Does rivaroxaban improve health outcomes and reduce costs compared to LMWH/VKA therapy in acute VTE patients?
Rivaroxaban is a cost-effective, dominant strategy compared to standard LMWH/VKA therapy for VTE treatment and secondary prevention in the Netherlands, driven by reduced monitoring costs and fewer major bleeds.
BACKGROUND: Until recently, standard treatment of venous thromboembolism (VTE) concerned a combination of short-term low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) and long-term vitamin-K antagonist (VKA). Risk of bleeding and the requirement for regular anticoagulation monitoring are, however, limiting their use. Rivaroxaban is a novel oral anticoagulant associated with a significantly lower risk of major bleeds (hazard ratio = 0.54, 95% confidence interval = 0.37-0.79) compared to LMWH/VKA therapy, and does not require regular anticoagulation monitoring. AIMS: To evaluate the health economic consequences of treating acute VTE patients with rivaroxaban compared to treatment with LMWH/VKA, viewed from the Dutch societal perspective. METHODS: A life-time Markov model was populated with the findings of the EINSTEIN phase III clinical trial to analyze cost-effectiveness of rivaroxaban therapy in treatment and prevention of VTE from a Dutch societal perspective. Primary model outcomes were total and incremental quality-adjusted life years (QALYs), as well as life expectancy and costs. RESULTS: Over a patient's lifetime, rivaroxaban was shown to be dominant, with health gains of 0.047 QALYs and cost savings of €304 compared to LMWH/VKA therapy. Dominance was robustly present in all sensitivity analyses. Major drivers of the differences between the two treatment arms were related to anticoagulation monitoring (medical costs, travel costs, and loss of productivity) and the occurrence of major bleeds. CONCLUSION: Rivaroxaban treatment of patients with venous thromboembolism results in health gains and cost savings compared to LMWH/VKA therapy. This conclusion holds for the Dutch setting, both for the societal perspective, as well as the healthcare perspective.
Heisen et al. (Fri,) conducted a other in venous thromboembolism. Rivaroxaban vs. LMWH/VKA therapy was evaluated on total and incremental quality-adjusted life years (QALYs), life expectancy and costs. Rivaroxaban was dominant over LMWH/VKA therapy for VTE treatment, yielding lifetime health gains of 0.047 QALYs and cost savings of €304 from a Dutch societal perspective.