Evaluation of the cost-effectiveness of drotrecogin alfa (activated) for the treatment of severe sepsis in the United Kingdom.

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this study was to assess the cost-effectiveness of drotrecogin alfa (activated) compared with best supportive care in a UK cohort of adult intensive-care patients with severe sepsis.

METHODS

A systematic review of evidence on the clinical- and cost-effectiveness of drotrecogin alfa (activated) was undertaken, and a decision-analytic model was developed to estimate the cost-effectiveness of treatment in the United Kingdom. Trial data from the Recombinant Human Activated Protein C Worldwide Evaluation in Severe Sepsis (PROWESS) study have been synthesized with other data, including UK data on severe sepsis, to estimate the costs and consequences of treatment over time.

RESULTS

For patients with severe sepsis and multiple organ dysfunction, the estimates of cost per life year and cost per quality-adjusted life year (QALY) are pounds 4931 and pounds 8228, respectively. For patients with severe sepsis alone, the cost per life-year and cost per QALY are pouhds 5495 and pounds 9161, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Whereas the therapeutic cost for drotrecogin alfa (activated) appears high (at around pounds 5000 per patient) and the potential impact on the provider budget is considerable, drotrecogin alfa (activated) is clinically effective, represents a cost-effective use of resources, and is a significant advance in the treatment of severe sepsis in patients requiring intensive care.