A cost-utility analysis has shown that CBD in combination with usual care offers a cost-effective treatment option for patients with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (LGS) or Dravet syndrome (DS) in the Netherlands.
This study, published in the Journal of Health Economics and Outcomes Research, evaluated the economic and clinical benefits of using plant-derived, highly purified CBD (Epidyolex) alongside standard antiseizure medications compared to usual care alone.
LGS and DS are severe, treatment-resistant epileptic disorders that primarily affect infants and young children. In December 2022, Epidyolex was approved for reimbursement in the Netherlands as an adjunctive treatment for seizures associated with these conditions.
Using a cohort-based Markov model, researchers assessed the cost-effectiveness of adding CBD to the standard treatment regimen. The model incorporated data on seizure frequency, quality-adjusted life years (QALYs), and societal costs over a lifetime horizon. The analysis revealed the following outcomes:
- For LGS patients, adding CBD resulted in an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of €21,493 per QALY, well below the Netherlands’ willingness-to-pay threshold of €80,000 per QALY.
- For DS patients, CBD plus usual care not only improved outcomes but also reduced costs, saving €23,642 and providing an additional 0.868 QALYs.
Sensitivity analyses confirmed the robustness of these results, with the probability of CBD being cost-effective calculated at 96% for LGS and 99% for DS patients.
The study concludes by stating:
Based on a WTP threshold of €80 000 for each condition, and a PSA cost-effectiveness probability of 96% in LGS and 99% in DS, this analysis showed that treatment with CBD plus usual care is cost-effective compared with usual care alone in patients with treatment-resistant LGS or DS in the Netherlands. These findings were robust to sensitivity and scenario analyses, validating the chosen model parameters and assumptions.
The study’s full text can be found by clicking here.
