Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of the TCM “Yupingfeng Granules” in the Treatment of Acute Exacerbations of COPD Based on a Randomized Clinical Trial

INTRODUCTION: Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is becoming increasingly important as it provides further options for treating many diseases worldwide. The TCM “Yupingfeng” has been used in China for over 800 years, and its clinical efficacy and safety for COPD treatment have been proven in previous studies. The objective of this study was to compare the long-term cost-effectiveness of Yupingfeng granules and the current conventional treatment for COPD patients in China. METHODS: A Markov model was constructed from the perspective of the Chinese healthcare system using TreeAge Pro 2011. The model cycle length was 12 months, and the cycle time was set to 10 years. Data from a randomized controlled trial were used to generate the number of acute exacerbations, COPD assessment test (CAT) score and actual medication used. The state transition probabilities, costs and quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) were derived from available sources. A threshold of 72,447 yuan per QALY gained was used as a cost-effectiveness criterion. One-way and probabilistic sensitivity analyses were conducted to verify the model. In addition, the cost-effectiveness of a 35-year cycle was evaluated as a scenario analysis. RESULTS: In the basic-case analysis, the ICER of adding Yupingfeng granules to the current conventional treatment drugs was ¥2123.04 per QALY, which was less than the threshold (one-time per capita GDP).Sensitivity analyses showed the results to be robust. Probabilistic sensitivity analysis showed that the probability of the ICER being less than the one-time per capita GDP threshold was 100%. In the scenario analysis, the incremental cost-effectiveness was ¥12,051.27 per QALY which was also under the one-time per capita GDP. CONCLUSION: By reducing the number of acute exacerbations of COPD, thereby correspondingly reducing the follow-up treatment cost, Yupingfeng granules combined with conventional treatment were found to provide a cost-effective therapeutic strategy for COPD.