Abstract
INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to investigate the cost-utility of real-time continuous glucose monitoring (rt-CGM) versus self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) in people with insulin-treated type 2 diabetes (T2D) in Sweden. METHODS: The CORE Diabetes Model (CDM v10) was used for the analysis. Clinical effectiveness data were obtained from the Steno2Tech trial, an investigator-initiated, 12-month, single center randomized controlled trial based in Denmark. Adverse event rates were sourced from a large-scale observational study based in the USA. Costs were obtained from Swedish and European studies and inflated to 2023 Swedish Krona (SEK). The analysis adopted the perspective of the Swedish payer, and a remaining lifetime horizon was used in the base case. A discount rate of 3% was applied to future costs and outcomes on an annual basis. A commonly cited willingness-to-pay (WTP) threshold of SEK 500,000 was used. RESULTS: rt-CGM led to a gain in mean incremental survival by 0.082 years (11.529 life years for rt-CGM versus 11.447 life years for SMBG). Total mean incremental costs were SEK 138,448 higher with rt-CGM compared with SMBG (SEK 1,151,049 for rt-CGM versus SEK 1,012,601 for SMBG). However, rt-CGM incurred fewer overall diabetes-related complication costs than SMBG over the remaining lifetime horizon. Rt-CGM also yielded a gain in mean incremental quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) of 0.632 (8.608 QALYs for rt-CGM versus 7.976 QALYs for SMBG). The mean incremental cost-utility ratio (ICUR) for rt-CGM was SEK 219,063 per QALY gained, which showed rt-CGM to be cost-effective when compared with the WTP threshold of SEK 500,000. When various indirect cost estimates were incorporated, rt-CGM was consistently more cost-effective than in the base case analysis. CONCLUSIONS: For individuals living in Sweden with T2D requiring insulin treatment, rt-CGM is a cost-effective management option relative to SMBG.