Budget impact analysis of a rituximab intravenous biosimilar in patients with follicular lymphoma and large B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma in Chile

Abstract

Introduction: In Chile, access disparities and budget constraints affect the treatment of non-Hodgkin lymphoma patients, even though therapies like rituximab are covered by the Regime of Explicit Health Guarantees. Biosimilars like Rixathon® offer a compelling alternative with similar efficacy at lower cost. This study conducted a budget impact analysis to assess the introduction of Rixathon® for follicular lymphoma (FL) and diffuse large B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (DLBCL) patients fromChilean healthcare system perspective. Methods: A budget impact model was developed to estimate the cost difference between the actual scenario and a scenario considering greateRixathon® coverage over a five-year period. Annual population was estimated based on rituximab sales data from 2015–2022 adjusted with corresponding factors. This study focused on differences in the total sum of acquisition and administration costs. Several scenarios were developed and analysed, including time-driven activity-based costing (TDABC) to estimate administration costs. Results: The projected population increases from 1,274 to 1,297 individuals for 2023–2027. Scenario 1 demonstrated that Rixathon® generated net cost savings of US$208,553 in 2023, or US$6,728 per patient, potentially enabling 49 additional patients to access Rixathon®. Similar trends are observed in Scenarios 2 and 3. The TDABC analysis revealed that the increment in administration costs were offset by the savings achieved through Rixathon® acquisition. Conclusion: Incorporating Rixathon® for FL and DLBCL patients was associated with savings in acquisition costs and its coverage could be extended to more patients. Administration costs resulted in a marginal incremental cost that was offset by the biosimilar net savings.