Correction

This article refers to:

Pembrolizumab plus axitinib and nivolumab plus ipilimumab as first-line treatments of advanced intermediate- or poor-risk renal-cell carcinoma: a number needed to treat analysis from the Brazilian private perspective

Article title: Pembrolizumab plus axitinib and nivolumab plus ipilimumab as first-line treatments of advanced intermediate- or poor-risk renal-cell carcinoma: a number needed to treat analysis from the Brazilian private perspective

Authors: Botrel, T. E. A., Abadi, M. D., Haas, L. C., da Veiga, C. R. P., de Vasconcelos Ferreira, D., & Jardim D. L.

Journal: Journal of Medical Economics

Bibliometrics: Volume 24, Number 01, pages 291–298

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13696998.2021.1883034

When the article was first published online, there was an error in the cost of axitinib (Inlyta) shown in Table 4 and, therefore, in the cost of pembrolizumab plus axitinib shown in Table 5. The estimated cost considering drug treatment for mean PFS and monitoring for the use of the pembrolizumab plus axitinib combination was changed from 603,818 BRL to 623,025 BRL (Table 4 and in Result section, subsection “Cost of treatment”, page 293).

Table 4. Cost calculation parameters.

Commercial name	Keytruda	Inlyta	Opdivo	Opdivo	Yervoy
Ex-factory price (BRL)	15,135.19	19,494.96	8,408.43	3,363.38	17,758.28
Cost per cycle (BRL)	30,270.38	649.83	40,360.48	20,180.24	35,516.56
Cycles at mean treatment time	13	266	6	4	4
Drug cost considering mean PFS (BRL)	393,515.00	172,854.78	242,163.00	80,721.00	142,066.00
Annual cost	524,585.69	236,538.12	403,604.80	80,720.96	142,066.24

BRL: Brazilian Real; PFS: progression-free survival.

Table 5. Number needed to treat and cost of preventing an event for 12-month OS and PFS rate from KEYNOTE-426^a and CHECKMATE-214^a.

	Pembrolizumab + Axitinib	Nivolumab + Ipilimumab	Difference
OS
NNT^b (95%CI)	6 (5.27–7.66)	13 (10.18–16.20)
Cost per treatment (BRL)	623,025	508,637
COPE in BRL^c (95%CI)	3,893,903 (3,283,339–4,772,368)	6,357,965 (5,177,924–8,239,919)	2,464,062
PFS
NNT^b (95%CI)	6 (5.27–7.66)	20 (15.46–28.31)
Cost per treatment (BRL)	623,025	508,537
COPE in BRL^c (95%CI)	3,893,903 (3,283,339–4,772,368)	10,172,744 (7,863,528–14,399,513)	6,278,841

95%CI: 95% confidence interval; BRL: Brazilian Real; COPE: cost of preventing an event; NNT: number needed to treat; OS: overall survival; PFS: progression-free survival.

^aOnly patients classified as intermediate- or poor-risk are reported.

^bNNT values are shown as rounded numbers, since it is not possible to treat less than one patient.

^cCOPE was calculated considering not rounded NNT (6.25 and 12.5 for OS and 6.25 and 20.0 for PFS).

Since the COPE assessment considers the NNT and cost per treatment, the COPE values shown in Table 5 for the pembrolizumab plus axitinib combination were also corrected from 3,773,865 BRL (95%CI: 3,182,120–4,625,245) to 3,893,903 BRL (95%CI: 3,283,339–4,772,368) both in the analysis related to overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS). These values were also corrected in the Abstract of the article (page 291) and in the Results section, subsection “NNT and COPE per outcome” (page 295). Finally, the cost differences between the two treatment options have been corrected in Table 5 from −2,584,100 BRL to −2,464,062 BRL for OS and from −6,398,879 BRL to −6,278,841 BRL for PFS.