ObjectiveThe objective was to assess the real-world cost-effectiveness of rivaroxaban, versus vitamin K antagonists (VKAs), for stroke prevention in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) from a French national health insurance perspective.Funding: LF, CC and PL received honorarium from Bayer AG for critical input into study design and results analysis. Bayer Plc. provided support in the form of salaries for author KB; Bayer AG provided support in the form of salaries for author JBB. Bayer AG sponsored the study, and Bayer AG as well as Bayer Plc had a role in the study design,
ConclusionsAlthough there is no official willingness-to-pay threshold in France, these results suggest that rivaroxaban is likely to be cost-effective compared to VKA in French patients with AF from a national insurance perspective.
Introduction/BackgroundAtrial fibrillation (AF) is a cardiac arrhythmia with structural and/or electrophysiological abnormalities that induce remodelling in the atria; it is the most common cardiac arrhythmia [1][2][3]. Worldwide, an estimated 3% of adults aged 20 years or older suffer from AF, approximately 20.9 million men and 12.6 million women [2]. Due to the aging of the population, the worldwide prevalence is predicted to at least double in many countries during the next several decades [4,5].AF is associated with substantial morbidity and mortality [2]. Compared to otherwise healthy individuals, men and women with AF are at a 1.5-fold and 2-fold increased risk for allcause mortality, respectively [2], and the risk for strokes increased by 2-to-7-fold [4]. Strokes are associated with significant financial burden [6]; in 2015, the total costs of stroke care in the European Union (EU) was estimated to be €45 billion euros [7]. It is expected that between 2015 and 2035, there will be a 34% increase in total number of stroke events in the European Union [7].Oral anticoagulants including vitamin K antagonists (VKAs) or non-VKA oral anticoagulants (NOACs) such as rivaroxaban, dabigatran, apixaban, and edoxaban, have been established as a cornerstone of management in patients with AF and to reduce stroke incidence and mortality [2] in randomized clinical trials (RCTs) [2].Many uncertainties remain regarding the relevance of the results of RCTs in a real-world setting. Real-world evidence (RWE) may provide additional information to decision-makers [8]. Indeed, RWE sample size is not limited as it is the case of RCTs. RCTs have to respect inclusion/exclusion criteria regarding population selection. Also, RWE can offer long-term outcomes while the timeframe of RCT is usually shorter with only a few outcomes [9].A meta-analysis comparing NOACs with VKAs and reporting effectiveness, safety, and persistence using RWE has recently been published [10]. It confirmed the findings of rivaroxaban pivotal RCT [11] and concluded that rivaroxaban is a suitable alternative to VKAs in routine clinical practice. Health Technology Assessment (HTA) agencies are frequently requesting manufacturers to prove the benefits of their hea...