Cost-effectiveness of cetuximab in combination with irinotecan compared with current care in metastatic colorectal cancer after failure on irinotecan : A Belgian analysis

This analysis compared the cost-effectiveness in Belgium of cetuximab plus irinotecan with current current care in the treatment of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-expressing metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC) that has failed irinotecan-containing therapy. Treatment outcomes and medical resource use data for patients receiving cetuximab plus irinotecan from the BOND study were compared with those from a matched group of patients (current care) (n = 66). Two scenarios were considered in which cetuximab was discontinued either at 6 weeks or at 12 weeks if there was no tumour response at those time points. Cost-effectiveness was expressed in Euros as the additional cost per additional life year gained (LYG) (referred to as the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER)). For the 6-week rule, the ICERs were is an element of 17000 compared with current care. For the 12-week rule, the ICER was:is an element of 40000 /LYG. Sensitivity analyses revealed that, in the worst case, considering all assumptions against the cetuximab combination, the maximum ICER is:is an element of 30000 or is an element of 59000. In conclusion, cetuximab plus irinotecan for patients with metastatic CRC, after failure on irinotecan-containing chemotherapy, is rather cost-effective compared with current care in both scenarios tested.