Ulipristal acetate for pre-operative management of uterine fibroids: Modeling outcomes and costs.

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this study was to evaluate the pharmacoeconomic profile in Italy of preoperative treatment with ulipristal acetate at the dose of 5 mg/day for 13 weeks in comparison with placebo prior to surgical management of symptomatic uterine fibroids.

STUDY DESIGN

The pharmacoeconomic analysis was based on the calculation of incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER). Effectiveness data were derived from the randomized-controlled trial PEARL-1, whilst costs data were retrieved from the published literature. A Markov model was employed to simulate the pattern of costs and two univariate sensitivity analyses tested the robustness of the results.

RESULTS

In comparison with placebo, ulipristal acetate 5 mg for presurgical therapy was estimated to be associated with an incremental cost of €351 per patient. Costs per patient were €3836 for ulipristal acetate vs €3485 for placebo. The incremental effectiveness was 0.01931 QALYs per patient (around 7 quality-adjusted days per patient). Hence, the cost effectiveness ratio was calculated to be €18,177 per QALY gained.

CONCLUSIONS

Preoperative use of ulipristal acetate 5 mg in patients with uterine fibroids has a favourable pharmacoeconomic profile.