Abstract:
Introduction: In Thailand, riluzole, a drug used to treat Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), was costly and had not yet been included in the National List of Essential Medicines. Additionally, no studies had been conducted on the cost-effectiveness of the drug. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the cost-utility of riluzole in treating patients with ALS compared with supportive care from the perspective of societal and healthcare providers. Methods: A Markov Model was employed to analyze costs and benefits from a societal and the healthcare provider's perspective. Outcomes were measured in quality-adjusted life years (QALYs). The analysis calculated an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER). Costs were collected from ALS patients at Chiang Mai Neurological Hospital during 2022-2023. Utility and transition probabilities of health state were derived from literature reviews. Both costs and outcomes were discounted at an annual rate of 3%. Sensitivity analyses, including one-way and probabilistic, were conducted. Results: From the societal perspective, the use of riluzole incurs a higher cost than supportive care, costing 983,183 THB and improved health outcomes at 1.79 QALYs. This yielded an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of 6,000,785 THB/QALY. From the provider's perspective, the ICER is calculated at 5,988,883 THB/QALY. Conclusion: the use of riluzole in the treatment of ALS is not a cost-effective option when compared to Thailand's willingness-to-pay threshold of 160,000 THB/QALY.