Review of pharmacoeconomic evaluation of genotype-guided antiplatelet therapy

Introduction: Clopidogrel is an antiplatelet agent widely prescribed for acute coronary syndrome (ACS), and it is activated by the CYP enzyme system to active metabolite. CYP2C19 loss-of-function (LOF) allele(s) affect the responsiveness of clopidogrel, but not the new antiplatelet agents (prasugrel and ticagrelor). We reviewed the pharmacoeconomic studies on genotype-guided use of new antiplatelet agents.

Areas covered: A literature search was conducted between the period of 2000 and 2014. Seven studies including cost-effectiveness and risk-benefit analyses of CYP2C19 genotype-guided antiplatelet therapy in ACS patients were reviewed. Genotype-guided prasugrel was found to be cost-effective when compared with universal antiplatelet therapy in four studies. Three studies showed genotype-guided ticagrelor to be cost-effective in ACS patients with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), and universal ticagrelor to be cost-effective in ACS patients. Drug cost of antiplatelet agents and relative risk of the new antiplatelet versus clopidogrel for clinical events were common influential factors of cost-effectiveness analyses.

Expert opinion: All studies in the present review focused on selecting antiplatelet agents for carriers of CYP2C19 LOF allele(s). Cost-effectiveness of genotype-guided use of antiplatelets was demonstrated in high-risk ACS patients.