Cost-Effectiveness of Early vs Delayed Belimumab Treatment for Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Is early belimumab initiation associated with higher cost-effectiveness than delayed initiation for biologic-naive adult patients with clinically active systemic lupus erythematosus?This economic evaluation using cost-utility analysis and integrated existing evidence on early and delayed belimumab initiation found that early initiation was more cost-effective. Using a Markov model over a 15-year horizon, early belimumab was associated with a gain of 0.30 quality-adjusted life-years and a cost savings of $126 337.12 per patient relative to delayed initiation, making it the dominant choice.These findings suggest that early belimumab may offer greater value by improving health outcomes while reducing medical costs, supporting reconsideration of reimbursement criteria.

Corresponding Author: Sabrina Hundal, MD, MBA, Department of Medicine, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive NW, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada (sabrina.hundal@ucalgary.ca).

Link to the article in your story

We encourage you to link out to this article in your story using the link below. It includes an access token that will give free access to the article for your readers up to one year after publication. (The link will be live after the article publishes and embargo is lifted.)

Please see the article for additional information, including full author list, author contributions and affiliations, conflict of interest and financial disclosures, and funding and support.

Need more information? Contact us.