Cost-effectiveness of becaplermin for nonhealing neuropathic diabetic foot ulcers

Ostomy Wound Manage. 2003 Nov;49(11):76-84.

Abstract

Foot ulcers secondary to peripheral neuropathy and vascular disease are a commonly occurring complication for people with diabetes. Becaplermin, a genetically-engineered growth factor in a hydrogel vehicle, has been shown to be more effective than vehicle-only control in healing chronic foot ulcers of patients with adequate vasculature receiving best clinical care. To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of adding up to 20 weeks of becaplermin to a regimen of best clinical care, a 1-year decision-analytic model was developed and tested using data from a previously published controlled clinical study involving 251 people with diabetes (124 becaplermin/127 control) and adequate vasculature presenting with an infection-free ulcer that had failed to heal despite appropriate therapy. A 20-week healing rate was estimated based on the clinical trial data assuming becaplermin treatment was terminated at 10 weeks in non-responding ulcers, and follow-up data were extended to 1 year. Resource utilization was estimated by an expert panel using a modified Delphi approach. Using the model, it was found that incorporating becaplermin with best clinical care resulted in 26 fewer ulcer-days per patient per year compared to best clinical care alone with an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of $6 per ulcer-day averted. Results were sensitive to becaplermin cost, efficacy, and effect on infection and recurrence rates. The clinical benefits of becaplermin deserve further investigation to enhance cost-effectiveness information for informed treatment decisions.

MeSH terms

  • Anticoagulants / economics*
  • Anticoagulants / therapeutic use*
  • Becaplermin
  • Benchmarking
  • Clinical Trials, Phase III as Topic
  • Cost of Illness
  • Cost-Benefit Analysis
  • Decision Support Techniques
  • Delphi Technique
  • Diabetic Foot / drug therapy*
  • Diabetic Foot / economics
  • Drug Costs / statistics & numerical data
  • Follow-Up Studies
  • Health Care Costs / statistics & numerical data
  • Humans
  • Models, Econometric
  • Platelet-Derived Growth Factor / economics*
  • Platelet-Derived Growth Factor / therapeutic use*
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-sis
  • Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic
  • Recurrence
  • Sensitivity and Specificity
  • Skin Care / economics
  • Skin Care / methods
  • Treatment Outcome
  • Wound Healing / drug effects

Substances

  • Anticoagulants
  • Platelet-Derived Growth Factor
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-sis
  • Becaplermin