Trimming the fat: is there a health economic case for the use of new lipid-lowering drugs in chronic kidney disease? A scoping review

BACKGROUND: Individuals with chronic kidney disease (CKD) are at a very high risk for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). New lipid-lowering agents offer hope of improved outcomes where traditional agents have been less efficacious, yet the cost of these agents needs consideration in this population before their widespread application. OBJECTIVE: We sought to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of novel lipid-lowering therapies for a CKD population. METHODS: We searched four electronic databases, one government registry and the reference lists of included literature to identify cost-effectiveness analyses of novel lipid-lowering agents in CKD. Costs were converted to a single currency to allow cross-country comparisons. Completeness of reporting was analysed using the Consolidated Health Economic Evaluation Reporting Standards checklist. Results were synthesized in narrative form with graphical representation of cost-effectiveness ratios. RESULTS: Of the 1041 identified studies, 4 met the inclusion criteria. None were specific to a CKD-only population. All examined the impact of proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 inhibitors (PCSK9is) in the secondary prevention of ASCVD. Incremental cost-effectiveness ratios of new agents compared with standard care were between €7288 and €112 530 per quality-adjusted life year gained. Cost-effectiveness was sensitive to the degree of cardiovascular risk of the underlying populations. CONCLUSION: This review found PCSK9is were moderately cost-effective in populations with high cardiovascular risk. People with CKD were included as an undifferentiated subpopulation in the primary studies, but application of these findings to CKD-specific populations should be interpreted with caution. There is insufficient evidence for a health economic case to support novel lipid-lowering therapies for advanced CKD.