Page 118 - GHES-2-4

Global Health Economics and
Sustainability
Cost-effectiveness of oral semaglutide in Greece

5. Conclusion Methodology: Anastasia Papageorgiou
Writing – original draft: Papantoniou Panagiotis
This study provides a comprehensive analysis of the short- Writing – review & editing: All authors
term cost-effectiveness of oral semaglutide compared to
empagliflozin, sitagliptin, and liraglutide for the treatment Ethics approval and consent to participate
of Type 2 diabetes in Greece. The findings offer a detailed
perspective on the economic implications of reimbursing oral Not applicable.
semaglutide in this context. Despite demonstrating superior Consent for publication
efficacy over 52 weeks, the substantially higher annual
treatment cost of oral semaglutide results in an unfavorable Not applicable.
cost of control compared to empagliflozin and sitagliptin.
Conversely, oral semaglutide exhibited a significantly lower Availability of data
cost of control when compared to liraglutide. All the data used are in the manuscript.
These results indicate that at its current list price,
oral semaglutide is not cost-effective compared to Further disclosure
empagliflozin and sitagliptin, despite its high efficacy in The clinical effectiveness data have been retrieved
achieving treatment targets. The higher cost of control for from the PIONEER 2, 3, and 4 original publications
most outcomes highlights the need for the Greek health (Rodbard et al., 2019; Rosenstock et al., 2019; Pratley et
technology assessment body to negotiate a net price that al., 2019). The price data of the examined medications
ensures the economic viability of the product in Greece. have been extracted from the official price bulletin
Stakeholders, including policymakers and decision- published by the Greek Ministry of Health (Ministerial
makers, should carefully consider these findings, weighing Decree 67328, 2023).
both clinical and economic factors when comparing References
therapeutic options. The implications of this study extend
beyond individual treatment decisions, potentially American Diabetes Association. (2022). Standards of medical
influencing broader strategies for diabetes management in care in diabetes-2022 abridged for primary care providers.
Greece. As the prevalence and incidence of diabetes continue Clinical Diabetes, 40(1):10-38.
to rise, reaching the levels of a “silent pandemic” and driving https://doi.org/10.2337/cd22-as01
up antidiabetic expenditures, it is crucial for decision-makers Boye, K.S., Matza, L.S., Walter, K.N., Van Brunt, K.,
to ensure that new medications are cost-effective and have Palsgrove, A.C., & Tynan, A. (2011). Utilities and disutilities
a minimal budget impact. Healthcare professionals can for attributes of injectable treatments for type 2 diabetes. The
leverage these findings to tailor treatment decisions based on European Journal of Health Economics, 12(2):219-230.
clinical efficacy and cost considerations, thereby maximizing
health outcomes while efficiently managing scarce resources. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10198-010-0224-8
While oral semaglutide has shown promising clinical Buse, J.B., Wexler, D.J., Tsapas, A., Rossing, P., Mingrone, G.,
results in achieving relevant treatment targets, its high cost Mathieu, C., et al. (2020). 2019 update to: Management of
hyperglycemia in type 2 diabetes, 2018. A consensus report
presents a challenge in demonstrating its cost-effectiveness by the American Diabetes Association (ADA) and the
compared to specific therapeutic alternatives. European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD).
Diabetes Care, 43(2):487-493.
Acknowledgments
https://doi.org/10.2337/dci19-0066
None.
Curry, S.J., Krist, A.H., Owens, D.K., Barry, M.J., Caughey, A.B.,
Funding Davidson, K.W., et al. (2018). Behavioral weight loss
interventions to prevent obesity-related morbidity and
None. mortality in adults: US Preventive Services Task Force
recommendation statement. JAMA, 320(11):1163-1171.
Conflict of interest
https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2018.13022
The authors declare they have no conflicts of interest.
Davies, M.J., D’Alessio, D.A., Fradkin, J., Kernan, W.N.,
Author contributions Mathieu, C., Mingrone, G., et al. (2018). Management
of hyperglycaemia in type 2 diabetes, 2018. A consensus
Conceptualization: Papantoniou Panagiotis report by the American Diabetes Association (ADA) and
Investigation: Papantoniou Panagiotis the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD).

Volume 2 Issue 4 (2024) 11 https://doi.org/10.36922/ghes.3032