Dr. Kudo on Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Lenvatinib Versus Sorafenib

Masatoshi Kudo, MD, PhD, professor and chairman, Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Kindai University, Osaka, Japan, discusses the results of a cost-effectiveness analysis of lenvatinib (Lenvima) versus sorafenib in unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in Japan.

Using data from the phase III REFLECT clinical trial, Kudo and colleagues developed a partitioned survival model to estimate the cost to treat Japanese patients with HCC over a lifetime horizon, taking into consideration indirect costs, such as hospital admissions, to the Japanese healthcare system. Data showed that lenvatinib confers a greater benefit in terms of quality-adjusted life years (QALYs)—at a lower cost—than does sorafenib.

It is a rare scenario in which a new drug provides greater benefit in QALYs with a lower cost than the standard of care, and the results of the analysis suggest that lenvatinib can provide a benefit not only to patients, but also to the healthcare system as a whole, Kudo concludes.

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