Dapagliflozin cost-effectiveness analysis in heart failure patients in Egypt.

Aims: In Egypt, cardiovascular (CV) diseases are not only the cause of 33% of disability-adjusted life years but are also a leading cause of death. This study aimed to evaluate dapagliflozin's cost-effectiveness as an add-on to the standard of care (SOC) for the treatment of heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HF-rEF) from the Egyptian healthcare system perspective.

Materials And Methods: A state transition model was utilized to assess the cost-effectiveness of dapagliflozin as an add-on to the SOC and a cost-minimization analysis was performed to compare dapagliflozin to sacubitril/valsartan, as they have had similar efficacy. Patients were stratified into four health states using the KCCQ-TSS, in addition to a CV and non-CV mortality health states. Urgent heart failure (HF) visits and hospitalizations were captured as transient states. Clinical parameters and baseline characteristics were based on the DAPA-HF trial, utility scores were extracted from published articles, and costs were derived from the Universal Health Insurance Authority national database. Deterministic and probabilistic sensitivity analyses were performed.

Results: The treatment costs of HF-rEF patients receiving dapagliflozin compared to SOC are 47,901EGP ($10,550) and 34,377EGP ($7,572), respectively. The quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) of dapagliflozin compared to SOC are 4.57 and 4.20, respectively. This resulted in an incremental cost per effectiveness ratio (ICER) of 36,449EGP ($8,028) per QALY gained over the lifetime horizon, suggesting this is cost-effective. Results of the cost-minimization analysis showed cost savings where the annual costs of dapagliflozin sacubitril/valsartan are 10,914EGP ($2,404) and 32,242EGP ($7,101), respectively.

Conclusion: Dapagliflozin was found to be a highly cost-effective and cost-saving medication when compared to SOC and sacubitril/valsartan, respectively, in the treatment of HF-rEF from Egyptian healthcare system perspective. The ICER was below the willingness-to-pay threshold because dapagliflozin improved outcomes (less frequent hospitalization and mortality).