Cost-effectiveness of tacrolimus ointment in adults and children with moderate and severe atopic dermatitis: twice-weekly maintenance treatment vs. standard twice-daily reactive treatment of exacerbations from a third party payer (U.K. National Health Service) perspective.

BACKGROUND

A twice-weekly maintenance treatment regimen with tacrolimus ointment for atopic dermatitis (AD) significantly delayed and reduced the number of disease exacerbations over a 12-month period compared with the standard reactive treatment regimen.

OBJECTIVES

To determine the cost-effectiveness of tacrolimus ointment used in the maintenance treatment regimen vs. the standard reactive treatment regimen for the management of moderate and severe AD in adults and children.

METHODS

Data from two pivotal phase III studies conducted in adults and children receiving 0·1% and 0·03% tacrolimus ointment, respectively, were used to populate a decision-analytic model. The costs and benefits associated with maintenance vs. reactive use of tacrolimus ointment were calculated over a 12-month period based on the clinical and quality of life data from the clinical trials. The analysis was conducted from the perspective of the U.K. National Health Service. Sensitivity analyses were conducted to assess the degree of uncertainty surrounding the results.

RESULTS

For both adults and children with moderate and severe AD, twice-weekly maintenance treatment with tacrolimus ointment was shown to be a more effective and less costly (dominant) treatment regimen than the standard treatment regimen. Sensitivity analyses demonstrated that the model was robust and largely insensitive to changes in model parameters.

CONCLUSIONS

Maintenance treatment with tacrolimus ointment for the management of moderate and severe AD provides incremental health benefits at a lower cost compared with the reactive treatment regimen.