The societal impact of a biologic treatment of ankylosing spondylitis: a case study based on secukinumab

• Published in: Journal of comparative effectiveness research Vol. 10; no. 2; pp. 143 - 155
• Main Authors: Himmler, Sebastian, Branner, Jennifer C, Ostwald, Dennis A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Future Medicine Ltd 01.02.2021
• Subjects: ankylosing spondylitis; Arthritis; Biological products; Case studies; Cost analysis; disease burden; IL 17-A; Mortality; Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs; Patients; Product life cycle; Productivity; productivity costs; secukinumab; societal costs; unpaid work; Germany; societal costs; productivity costs; IL 17-A; ankylosing spondylitis; secukinumab; unpaid work; disease burden
• ISSN: 2042-6305; 2042-6313
• DOI: 10.2217/cer-2020-0077

This study estimates the societal benefits of using biologics like secukinumab (SEC) instead of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for treating patients with ankylosing spondylitis in Germany. A Markov and a population model were used to predict the functional impairment of German ankylosing spondylitis patients using SEC or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. This was translated into avoided productivity losses, which were valued according to gross value added. The productivity impairment of SEC users was predicted to decrease by 20 percentage points, corresponding to 12.8 and 32.7 million hours in paid and unpaid work and a monetary value of €1.6 billion from 2016 to 2030. Accounting for economic spillover effects increases the societal value to € 3.3 billion. The improvements in functional impairment due to biologics could lead to sizable productivity effects.