Evaluating the Long-Term Cost-Effectiveness of Daily Administered GLP-1 Receptor Agonists for the Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes in the United Kingdom

INTRODUCTION: The glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist class has grown in the last decade, with several agents available in the UK. However there is currently a paucity of evidence regarding the relative cost-effectiveness of liraglutide 1.2 mg versus other daily administered GLP-1 receptor agonists, due to a lack of head-to-head trial data. Therefore the present analysis was performed, using results from a network meta-analysis (NMA), to compare the cost-effectiveness of three currently available daily administered GLP-1 receptor agonists for treatment of diabetes in the UK setting. METHODS: A validated and published diabetes model was used to make long-term projections of clinical outcomes and direct costs (2015 GBP) for patients receiving liraglutide 1.2 mg once-daily, exenatide 10 μg twice daily and lixisenatide 20 μg once-daily. Treatment effects were taken from an NMA evaluating the efficacy of GLP-1 receptor agonists and were applied in a cohort based on the Liraglutide Effect and Action in Diabetes 6 (LEAD-6) trial. Costs and utilities were based on published sources. RESULTS: Liraglutide 1.2 mg was associated with improved quality-adjusted life expectancy versus exenatide [9.19 versus 9.17 quality-adjusted life years (QALYs)] and lixisenatide (9.19 versus 9.12 QALYs). Improvements were driven by benefits in glycemic control, leading to a reduced incidence of diabetes-related complications. Liraglutide 1.2 mg was associated with reduced costs versus exenatide (GBP 36,394 versus GBP 36,547) and lixisenatide (GBP 36,394 versus GBP 36,496), with cost savings as a result of complications avoided entirely offsetting increased acquisition costs. Based on the projected outcomes, liraglutide was found to be dominant over both exenatide and lixisenatide. CONCLUSION: Liraglutide 1.2 mg is likely to be considered cost-effective versus alternative daily administered GLP-1 receptor agonists for treatment of type 2 diabetes in the UK.