Cost-effectiveness of pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy for metastatic non-small cell lung cancer: a head-to-head trial vs. real-world comparison

Key Points

• The study evaluates the cost-effectiveness of pembrolizumab combined with chemotherapy for metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (mNSCLC).
• Compared cost-effectiveness of pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy using real-world evidence (RWE) and randomized controlled trial (RCT) data.
• Analyzed incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) between RWE and RCT outcomes.
• Focused on mNSCLC patient populations.
• Found that pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy was unlikely to be cost-effective for mNSCLC.
• Identified higher ICER with RWE compared to RCT data.
• Suggests trial-based effectiveness may overestimate outcomes in real-world practice.

Abstract