Inpharma 1560 - 21 Oct 2006

■ Adding omalizumab to guideline recommendedcare may be cost effective in patients with severeallergic asthma, according to a study presented at the16th Annual Congress of the European RespiratorySociety.* Researchers constructed a Markov modelincluding data from the INNOVATE trial to compare5 years of omalizumab followed by recommendedcare, with lifelong recommended care. Compared withrecommended care alone, omalizumab plusrecommended care had higher total costs**

(€53 664 vs €52 702) and greater gains in QALYs†

(11.584 vs 10.853), with an incremental cost perQALY of €1317. Results were found to be sensitive tothe discount rates, the time horizon and exacerbation-related mortality rate.* one author was affiliated with Novartis Pharma AG** Costs (societal perspective) included drugs, exacerbations,routine care and societal costs.† quality-adjusted life-years

Dewilde S, et al. Cost effectiveness of omalizumab in Swedish asthmapatients. European Respiratory Journal Supplement 28 (Suppl. 50): 441s abstr.P2569, Sep 2006 801047590

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Inpharma 21 Oct 2006 No. 15601173-8324/10/1560-0001/$14.95 Adis © 2010 Springer International Publishing AG. All rights reserved