Economic model of Ulipristal Acetate in the long term, intermittent treatment of uterine fibroids — a Canadian setting

Health economic evaluation compares the associated costs and the clinical outcomes of multiple treatment alternatives and is presently used by payers as one of the many types of evidence to inform which drugs to fund. Given existing health-care budgetary constraints, payers are increasingly interested in knowing whether a new health technology will provide value (i.e. are the incremental costs justifiable with improved outcomes). Economic evidence can therefore impact whether a health technology will be successful in gaining market access. As a result, manufacturers are increasingly conducting early economic modeling exercises to help inform business strategy (i.e. how likely will the technology be successful?) and to plan ahead by identifying potential reimbursement hurdles (i.e. what information is likely needed to gain reimbursement?). Ulipristal acetate is currently approved in Europe for the pre-operative management of moderate to severe symptoms of uterine fibroids in adult women of reproductive age. However, interest exists in its potential as a longer-term treatment alternative to surgery. To better understand the economic attractiveness of this potential indication, the objective of this internship will be to construct an early economic model for this expanded indication. The model will then inform whether the partner firm should continue pursuing clinical development on this new indication and identify where the existing data gaps are that may represent potential challenges in gaining reimbursement by Canadian payers.

Faculty Supervisor:

Dr. Ron Goeree

Student:

Bernice Tsoi

Partner:

Watson Pharmaceuticals

Discipline:

Epidemiology / Public health and policy

Sector:

Pharmaceuticals

University:

University of Toronto