Application of the MCDA method for assessing new technologies for familial hypercholesterolaemia treatment

Abstract

Objective: Familial hypercholesterolaemia is a hereditary disease characterized by very high levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and an elevated risk of early-onset cardiovascular disorders. New drugs provide alternatives for the treatment of patients with homozygous familial hypercholesterolaemia. The study aims to explore a practical application of multiple-criteria decision analysis on prioritization of new and emerging technologies for familial hypercholesterolaemia. Methods: The decision model was constructed using the MACBETH method. There were three stages: structuring the problem, measuring the performance of alternatives, and building the model. The weights for alternatives and levels were obtained by indirect comparisons, which evaluated the attractiveness of the performance levels of the criteria using the swing weights technique. Results: The drugs lomitapide, ezetimibe, evolocumab, and mipomersen were selected as alternatives for decision-making. “Cardiovascular Death”, “Stroke” and “Acute Myocardial Infarction” had the three most significant weights. The criteria with the lowest weights were “Comfort” and “LDL-C Reduction”. The top-ranked technology was evolocumab, with an overall score of 59.87, followed by ezetimibe, with a score of 37.21. Conclusion: How to apply the result of a higher score in the actual decision making process still requires further studies. The case in question showed that evolocumab has more performance benefits than other drugs but with a cost approximately 50 times higher.