PharmacoEconomics & Outcomes News 363 - 18 May 2002

Gemcitabine alone or in Table. Costs associated with gemcitabine andcombination with cisplatin cost cisplatin versus other novel therapies in NSCLC*

effective in NSCLC Novel Incrementalchemotherapy cost ofregimen gemcitabineGemcitabine alone or in combination with cisplatin

andrepresents a cost-effective treatment for patients withcisplatinnon-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), compared with per

best supportive care (BSC) and standard chemotherapy patientand novel chemotherapy regimens, according to (£)**researchers from Australia and the UK. Paclitaxel –3506

In their study, gemcitabine plus BSC was compared andcisplatinwith BSC alone, and gemcitabine plus cisplatin

Paclitaxel –2907combination therapy was compared with three standardandchemotherapy regimens:carboplatin• etoposide plus cisplatin

Docetaxel –242• mitomycin, ifosfamide plus cisplatin (MIC) and• mitomycin, vinblastine plus cisplatin (MVP). cisplatinGemcitabine plus cisplatin combination therapy was Vinorelbine –571

also compared with four novel chemotherapy regimens: andcisplatin• paclitaxel plus cisplatin

• paclitaxel plus carboplatin * non-small-cell lung cancer

• docetaxel plus cisplatin ** Costs (2000 values) included those for drug acquisition andadministration, hospitalisation, radiotherapy, transfusions, healthcare• vinorelbine and cisplatin.*professional visits and concomitant medications, and were calculatedCost and effectiveness measures were based on from the perspective of the UK National Health Service. Negative values

resource and outcomes data from previously reported indicate cost savings.clinical trials.

The results showed that, compared with BSC alone,* The study was supported by a research grant from Eli Lilly andthe incremental cost per progression-free life-yearCompany, with which four of the researchers were affiliated.gained (LYG) was £5228,** and the incremental cost per** Costs (2000 values) included those for drug acquisition andtumour response was £8873, for gemcitabine plus BSC. administration, hospitalisation, radiotherapy, transfusions, healthcareCost-effectiveness ratios indicated that gemcitabine plus professional visits and concomitant medications, and were calculated

cisplatin was also an economic alternative for patients from the perspective of the UK National Health Service.with NSCLC, compared with standard chemotherapy Lees M, et al. Economic evaluation of gemcitabine alone and in combination withregimens; the incremental cost per tumour response cisplatin in the treatment of nonsmall cell lung cancer. PharmacoEconomics 20:

325-337, No. 5, 2002 800882639with gemcitabine plua cisplatin was £2032 comparedwith etoposide plus cisplatin, £5169 compared withMIC and £6240 compared with MVP. In addition, sincegemcitabine plus cisplatin was superior, or at leastequal, in efficacy relative to the four novelchemotherapy regimens, it was associated with per-patient cost savings in each comparison [see table].

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PharmacoEconomics & Outcomes News 18 May 2002 No. 3631173-5503/10/0363-0001/$14.95 Adis © 2010 Springer International Publishing AG. All rights reserved