Cost-effectiveness of inclisiran in patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease from Chinese healthcare perspective

by Mochou Liu, Xinyue Zhang, Mengwen Feng, Qingfeng He, Zhen Feng Background Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) imposes a substantial clinical and economic burden in China. Despite maximally tolerated statin therapy, many patients fail to achieve recommended low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) targets.

Inclisiran, a novel small interfering ribonucleic acid (siRNA) therapy, provides sustained LDL-C reduction, but its economic value under the Chinese healthcare system remains uncertain. Objective To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of inclisiran when added to standard lipid-lowering therapy for patients with ASCVD in China.

Methods A Markov cohort multistate-transition model was developed from the perspective of the Chinese healthcare system, using a one-year cycle length and a lifetime horizon. Clinical inputs, costs, and utilities were derived from published literature and clinical trials.

Both costs and outcomes were discounted at 4.5% annually. The primary result of the economic evaluation was the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER), with inclisiran considered cost-effective if the ICER was below the willingness-to-pay (WTP) threshold of CNY 191,498 per quality-adjusted life year (QALY), equivalent to two times China’s per capita gross domestic product in 2024.