Analysis of the economically justifiable price of mepolizumab in adults with asthma in Colombia.

Introduction: Asthma imposes a critical economic burden on health systems, especially with the incorporation of new drugs. Recently, mepolizumab has been approved to prevent exacerbations in patients with eosinophilic asthma, however their high cost constitutes a barrier for their use, especially in middle- and low-income countries. This study aimed to estimate the economically justifiable price of mepolizumab for preventing exacerbations in patients with severe asthma in Colombia.

Materials and methods: A model was developed using the microsimulation to estimate the quality-adjusted costs and life years of two interventions: mepolizumab versus not applying standard treatment without mepolizumab. This analysis was made during a lifetime horizon and from a third-payer perspective. We analyzed the economically justifiable price using two recent willingness to pay (WTP) estimates in Colombia ($4,828 and $5,128) and $19,992, equivalent to up to three times the GDP per capita, as previously used in conjunction with the two estimates mentioned above.

Results: At current costs of US$781 per dose of 100 mg of mepolizumab, this drug is not cost-effective using a WTP of U$4828, U$ 5128, and U$19 992 per QALY. Based on the thresholds of $4,828, $5,128, and $19,992 per QALY assessed in this study, the economically justifiable costs of mepolizumab were determined to be $147, $165, and $691 per dose, respectively.

Conclusion: The economically justifiable cost for mepolizumab in Colombia is between $147 and $691 per dose, depending on the WTP used. This result should encourage more studies in the region that optimize decision-making processes when incorporating this drug into the health plans of each country.