Cost-effectiveness of subcutaneous house dust mite allergen immunotherapy plus pharmacotherapy for allergic asthma

Abstract

Background: Current cost-effectiveness evaluations of the house dust mite (HDM) allergen immunotherapy fail to account for its effect on the reduction of exacerbations and medications while considering potential differences across patient populations. We aimed to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT) plus inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) vs ICS for pediatric and adult patients with allergic asthma (AA) and AA with Allergic rhinitis (AR) from the health care system perspective. Methods: A Markov model with a 3-month cycle length and a 10-year time horizon was developed. A hypothetical cohort of eight years old patients with controlled (or partially controlled) AA was the base case population. Health states were: treatment with GINA Step-3, Step-2, medication-free asthma, and all-cause death. Effectiveness was measured by the reduction in medication doses and exacerbations. Scenario analyses were conducted considering allergic AR as a comorbid condition and an