Cost-effectiveness of implementing a genotype-guided de-escalation strategy in patients with acute coronary syndrome

A genotype-guided P2Y12-inhibitor de-escalation strategy, switching acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients without a CYP2C19 loss-of-function allele from ticagrelor or prasugrel to clopidogrel, has shown to reduce bleeding risk without affecting the effectivity of therapy by increasing ischaemic risk. We estimated the cost-effectiveness of this personalized approach compared to standard dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT; aspirin plus ticagrelor/prasugrel) in the Netherlands.

We developed a 1-year decision tree based on results of the FORCE-ACS registry, comparing a cohort of ACS patients who underwent genotyping with a cohort of ACS patients treated with standard DAPT. This was followed by a lifelong Markov model to compare lifetime costs and quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) for a fictional cohort of 1000 patients. The cost-effectiveness analysis was performed from the perspective of the Dutch healthcare system. A genotype-guided de-escalation strategy led to an increase of 57.73 QALYs and saved €808788 compared to standard DAPT based on a lifetime horizon. Probabilistic sensitivity analysis showed that the genotype-guided strategy was cost-saving in 96% and increased QALYs in 87% of simulations. The intervention remained cost-effective in the scenario where prices for all P2Y12 inhibitors were equalized. The genotype-guided strategy remained dominant in various other scenarios and sensitivity analyses.

A genotype-guided de-escalation strategy in patients with ACS was both cost-saving and yielded higher QALYs compared to standard DAPT, highlighting its potential for implementation in clinical practice.

Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT03823547.