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Abstract
Background
To compare the cost-effectiveness of originator (reference) recombinant human follicle stimulating hormone alfa (rhFSH-α) (follitropin alfa, GONAL-f) and its biosimilar (rhFSH, JinSaiHeng) in assisted reproductive technology (ART) from a Chinese patient perspective.
Methods
A decision tree model was developed to simulate the treatment pathway of infertile women undergoing ART using GONAL-f or JinSaiHeng. Published clinical and cost data were used to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of the rhFSH-α. The cumulative live birth rate (CLBR), direct medical costs and costs per cumulative live birth were estimated via an analytic decision-tree model.
Results
CLBR of GONAL-f was higher than JinSaiHeng preparation (88.3% vs 84.4%), while the cost per cumulative live birth was lower (51,475 vs 52,095 CNY).
Conclusion
The originator rhFSH-α was associated with higher CLBR and lower cost per cumulative live birth, with incremental cost per additional live birth of 38,096 CNY (Chinese Yuan).
Ethics Statement
This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of China Pharmaceutical University. We confirm that informed consent was obtained from the study participants. And we followed the guidelines outlined in the Declaration of Helsinki.
Acknowledgments
We would like to express our thanks to Dr Liu Shan of Beijing Chaoyang Hospital Affiliated to Capital Medical University and Dr Meng Yan of Jiangsu Provincial People’s Hospital for their consultations and data support, and to Ms He Jiayin, Ms Ma Xin, and Dr Bian Boyang for their contributions to the study design and manuscript writing. The authors thank Dr Qiao Bin for his assistance in revising this manuscript.
Disclosure
Angying Du is an employee of Merck Serono Co. Ltd., China (an affiliate of Merck KGaA Darmstadt, Germany). All other authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.