Cost–Effectiveness of Pembrolizumab Plus Chemotherapy as First-Line Treatment in PD-L1-Positive Metastatic Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
Min Huang, Peter A. Fasching, Amin Haiderali, Wilbur Pan, Emma Gray, Zheng‐Yi Zhou, Peter Hu, Mitashri Chaudhuri, Celine Le Bailly De Tilleghem, Nicolas Cappoen, Joyce O’Shaughnessy
Abstract
Objective: This study evaluated the cost–effectiveness of pembrolizumab/chemotherapy combinations for previously untreated metastatic triple-negative breast cancer patients in the USA with PD-L1 combined positive score ≥10. Methods: A partitioned-survival model was developed to project health outcomes and direct medical costs over a 20-year time horizon. Efficacy and safety data were from randomized clinical trials. Comparative effectiveness of indirect comparators was assessed using network meta-analyses. A series of sensitivity analyses were performed to test the robustness of the results. Results: Pembrolizumab/chemotherapy resulted in total quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) gains of 0.70 years and incremental cost–effectiveness ratio of US$182,732/QALY compared with chemotherapy alone. The incremental cost–effectiveness ratio for pembrolizumab/nab-paclitaxel versus atezolizumab/nab-paclitaxel was US$44,157/QALY. Sensitivity analyses showed the results were robust over plausible values of model inputs. Conclusion: Pembrolizumab/chemotherapy is cost effective compared with chemotherapy as well as atezolizumab/nab-paclitaxel as first-line treatment for PD-L1-positive metastatic triple-negative breast cancer from a US payer perspective.