1. A pharmacoeconomic analysis from Italian guidelines for the management of prolactinomas
- Author
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Michele Basile, Ilaria Valentini, Roberto Attanasio, Renato Cozzi, Agnese Persichetti, Irene Samperi, Alessandro Scoppola, Renata Simona Auriemma, Ernesto De Menis, Felice Esposito, Emanuele Ferrante, Giuseppe Iatì, Diego Mazzatenta, Maurizio Poggi, Roberta Rudà, Fabio Tortora, Fabio Cruciani, Zuzana Mitrova, Rosella Saulle, Simona Vecchi, Paolo Cappabianca, Agostino Paoletta, Alessandro Bozzao, Marco Caputo, Francesco Doglietto, Francesco Ferraù, Andrea Gerardo Lania, Stefano Laureti, Stefano Lello, Davide Locatelli, Pietro Maffei, Giuseppe Minniti, Alessandro Peri, Chiara Ruini, Fabio Settanni, Antonio Silvani, Nadia Veronese, Franco Grimaldi, Enrico Papini, and Americo Cicchetti
- Subjects
Bromocriptine ,Cabergoline ,Cost-utility ,ICER ,Prolactinoma ,Medical technology ,R855-855.5 - Abstract
Background: Prolactinoma, the most common pituitary adenoma, is usually treated with dopamine agonist (DA) therapy like cabergoline. Surgery is second-line therapy, and radiotherapy is used if surgical treatment fails or in relapsing macroprolactinoma. Objective: This study aimed to provide economic evidence for the management of prolactinoma in Italy, using a cost-of-illness and cost-utility analysis that considered various treatment options, including cabergoline, bromocriptine, temozolomide, radiation therapy, and surgical strategies. Methods: The researchers conducted a systematic literature review for each research question on scientific databases and surveyed a panel of experts for each therapeutic procedure’s specific drivers that contributed to its total cost. Results: The average cost of the first year of treatment was €2,558.91 and €3,287.40 for subjects with microprolactinoma and macroprolactinoma, respectively. Follow-up costs from the second to the fifth year after initial treatment were €798.13 and €1,084.59 per year in both groups. Cabergoline had an adequate cost-utility profile, with an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of €3,201.15 compared to bromocriptine, based on a willingness-to-pay of €40,000 per quality-adjusted life year (QALY) in the reference economy. Endoscopic surgery was more cost-effective than cabergoline, with an ICER of €44,846.64. Considering a willingness-to-pay of €40,000/QALY, the baseline findings show cabergoline to have high cost utility and endoscopic surgery just a tad above that. Conclusions: Due to the favorable cost-utility profile and safety of surgical treatment, pituitary surgery should be considered more frequently as the initial therapeutic approach. This management choice could lead to better outcomes and an appropriate allocation of healthcare resources.
- Published
- 2024
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