UNASSIGNED: e18544 Background: Maintenance rituximab (R) therapy every two months for 2 years after chemoimmunotherapy (R-Chemo) has demonstrated improved progression-free survival (PFS) in previously untreated @entity706 ( @entity1893 ), but its economic implications are yet to be determined. A cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) and budget-impact analysis (BIA) of R-maintenance versus observation was conducted from a typical US payer perspective. METHODS: Treatment-effect assumptions were obtained from the @entity33078 trial. We developed a Markov model to project PFS and @entity1349 ( @entity1349 ) data over a lifetime horizon. Costs calculated in 2010 US dollars included chemotherapy drugs, administration, treatment of grade 3/4 adverse events, and subsequent therapies after disease progression. Drug costs were based on average trial dose and were calculated using CMS fee schedules and wholesale acquisition costs. Utilities for stable and progressed disease were obtained from the literature. Primary endpoints were (1) cost per quality-adjusted life year (QALY) gained and (2) incremental payer budget divided by number of health plan members, referred to as cost per member per month (PMPM). Sensitivity analyses were conducted to identify cost drivers and to quantify the impact of input variables on the outcomes. RESULTS: Compared with observation, R-maintenance increased mean PFS by 1.53 to 2.55 years and @entity1349 by 1.19 to 1.88 years. Cost of R-maintenance was  48,975. Cost per QALY gained varied between  16,904 and  35,405, depending on the duration of R-maintenance's relative risk reduction of progression. R-maintenance increased the cost PMPM by  0.004. Influential drivers of the BIA were the number of @entity1893 @entity1 receiving chemo-induction therapy, the number of @entity1 thereafter receiving R-maintenance, and the cost of R-maintenance. CONCLUSIONS: The use of R-maintenance therapy for previously untreated @entity1893 is cost-effective for oncology with minimal budgetary impact for a typical US health plan.

Economic impact of rituximab as maintenance therapy in previously untreated follicular XXXX .

@entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['patients'] @entity33078 :: ('145270', 'Gene') :: ['PRIMA'] @entity706 :: ('MESH:D008223', 'Disease') :: ['follicular lymphoma'] @entity1893 :: ('MESH:D008228', 'Disease') :: ['f-NHL'] @entity1349 :: ('MESH:D011475', 'Disease') :: ['OS', 'overall survival']
@entity1893 :: (MESH:D008228,Disease) :: ['non-Hodgkin lymphoma']
