Researchers at AMCP Nexus 2024 explored the cost-effectiveness of Midomafetamine-assisted therapy (MDMA-AT) for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in US health care settings, with findings suggesting it may be a more cost-effective treatment option than therapy alone.

A health state-transition model was used to analyze the cost-effectiveness of MDMA-AT compared to placebo with therapy for treating adults with chronic PTSD in US health care settings. Both treatment arms involved preparatory, interventional, and integration sessions over a 4-month period. Patients were categorized into different health states based on their response to treatment, with unique health care costs and utilities assigned to each state. The analysis considered a 5-year horizon, annual cost and effect discounts, and a $150 000 willingness-to-pay threshold, with sensitivity analyses conducted to assess uncertainty in the model inputs.

The base-case incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) was $83 845 per quality-adjusted life year (QALY), with total direct costs of $64 745 in the MDMA-AT arm and $33 132 in the PT arm ($31 613 difference). Intervention costs were $48 376 for MDMA-AT and $12 376 for PT. The highest MDMA medication cost fitting under the willingness-to-pay (WTP) threshold was $20 314 per session. The cost of PTSD health care visits and other treatments was lower with MDMA-AT than with PT (-$2511 and -$1877 differences, respectively).

“These data suggest MDMA-AT may be a cost-effective treatment compared with PT for patients with chronic PTSD of moderate or higher severity,” said researchers.

Reference

Zah V, Stanicic F, Grbic D, et al. Cost-effectiveness of midomafetamine-assisted therapy for chronic post-traumatic stress disorder of moderate and higher severity in the United States: A health economic model. Presented at: AMCP Nexus 2024; October 14-17; Las Vegas, NV.