Using Post-market Utilisation Analysis to Support Medicines Pricing Policy: An Australian Case Study of Aflibercept and Ranibizumab Use

Objectives To describe how post-market utilisation analysis in Australia informs cost-effectiveness assessment and pricing decisions, using aflibercept and ranibizumab as case studies. Methods Pharmaceutical claims were used to identify initiators of aflibercept and ranibizumab in the year after aflibercept-listing (December 2012), and ranibizumab initiators in the year before aflibercept listing. The dispensing rates for each cohort were calculated, and their demographic and clinical characteristics compared using Kruskal–Wallis tests. Results Aflibercept and ranibizumab each accounted for half the age-related macular degeneration market following aflibercept listing. Aflibercept initiators had similar dispensing rates to ranibizumab initiators in the pre- and post-aflibercept era (~ three scripts during the first 90 days, and eight to nine scripts during the following 12 months). All cohorts were similar in terms of their age, sex, residential aged-care status and geographic remoteness, and no differences were observed in their overall co-morbidity scores and history of thromboembolic events. Conclusions Contrary to clinical trial protocols, post-market utilisation research for ranibizumab and aflibercept demonstrates equivalent use in practice in terms of dose frequency, and the demographic and clinical characteristics of initiators. This supports Australia’s decision to pay the same price for each rather than giving a premium to aflibercept. Many other countries are likely overpaying for aflibercept if their utilization patterns are similar to Australia’s, and could benefit from incorporating routine utilisation assessment.