Purpose: To analyse the impact on cost if faricimab is used as the first-line treatment for neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) compared to standard treatment with bevacizumab.
Methods: Retrospective registry study including real-world data from the Swedish Macula Registry between 2017 and 2022. The observed number of injections and visits for bevacizumab during the first two years of treatment was used (n = 437 patients). Number of faricimab injections was obtained from published clinical trial data and unit costs mostly from publicly available Swedish sources. The provider cost included medication and visit cost and societal cost included additionally patient travel cost. Costs are presented in 2023 EUR.
Results: The incremental societal cost of faricimab was 277 EUR per patient compared to bevacizumab in the base case. Medication cost was higher (1516 EUR) while visit cost (−1183 EUR) and patient travel cost (−56 EUR) were lower due to longer injection intervals. Faricimab was of similar cost as bevacizumab for patients residing far from the clinic. The faricimab injection interval and the number of bevacizumab injections were major drivers of uncertainty in the results.
Conclusion: Faricimab represents a cost-effective alternative to bevacizumab for patients with nAMD in Sweden. Its extended treatment interval is particularly beneficial for patients living far from clinics, and if the real-life faricimab injection interval extends beyond 12 weeks. Our findings emphasize faricimab's potential to free up healthcare staff to treat a larger patient population with existing clinic resources.