Abstract
Objective: This study aimed to compare the economic evaluation of recombinant human thrombopoietin+rituximab (rhTPO + RTX) vs. RTX as second-line treatment for adult patients with immunologic thrombocytopenic purpura in China. Methods: The Markov model was used in our research. The response rate and relapse rate data were derived from two clinical trials and one retrospective study. Cost and utility values were derived from published literature, a third-party database, and healthcare documents. In addition, one-way sensitivity analysis and probabilistic sensitivity analysis were performed to observe the stability of the model and data source. Results: In the Markov model, compared with RTX, rhTPO+RTX yielded an additional 0.04 QALYs, with an incremental cost of 2,802 USD. The ICER was 69,097 USD/QALY. According to the results from the one-way sensitivity analysis, complete response of rhTPO+RTX, utility of complete response and response of RTX were the main drivers in the model. The results from the probabilistic sensitivity analysis demonstrated that there was a 100% probability that rhTPO+RTX was not cost-effective vs. RTX alone at a threshold of $10,805/QALY and an 84% probability at a threshold of $32,415/QALY. Conclusion: RTX+rhTPO was not more cost-effective than RTX alone as second-line treatment for adult patients with immunologic thrombocytopenic purpura in China.