Pharmacoeconomic profile of taxanes in advanced ovarian cancer

This article reviews the information currently available on the pharmacoeco nomic profile of taxanes in ovarian cancer. Because paclitaxel is the only taxene approved for this clinical indication, our overview is almost entire ly focused on the cost-effectiveness profile of this drug. In advanced ovar ian cancer, first-line regimens based on paclitaxel have been reported to b e more effective than standard therapy based on cyclophosphamide + cisplati n. The improved survival with paclitaxel and the increased cost induced by this drug have prompted a series of pharmacoeconomic analyses, the results of which are summarized and discussed. Three studies, published between 199 6 and 1997, calculated the cost per life-year gained using paclitaxel + cis platin as opposed to cyclophosphamide + cisplatin. The estimates of surviva l gain and increased expenditure using paclitaxel were very similar; conseq uently, the results produced by these three analyses were homogeneous with values of cost per life-year gained around $20 000. Because this value is b elow the conventional limit of $50 000, the pharmacoeconomic results on pac litaxel suggest a favorable cost-effectiveness profile. Docetaxel is anothe r taxane proposed for the treatment of advanced ovarian cancer; however, th e drug has not yet been approved for this clinical indication and so a phar macoeconomic assessment on this agent is still premature. [(C) 1998 Lippinc ott Williams & Wilkins.].