OBJECTIVES: Tralokinumab is approved for adults with moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis at a 300mg maintenance dose every other week (Q2W). At prescriber’s discretion, every fourth week (Q4W) dosing may be considered for patients responding to treatment after 16 weeks of administration. The proportion switching to Q4W dosing in clinical practice is uncertain. This study explored the impact of varying the proportion of patients on Q4W after 52 weeks on the budget impact of tralokinumab from a UK perspective over a five-year period.

METHODS: A budget impact model was developed to compare a scenario with tralokinumab to a control scenario with dupilumab, spanning from 2023 to 2027. The market share uptake of tralokinumab was assumed to increase annually from 21% to 45%. The proportion of patients switching to Q4W at 52 weeks was varied from 0% to 50%. Results were reported as total annual costs and average costs over five years. Several scenarios varying the tralokinumab price were undertaken.

RESULTS: Given the projected market uptake, the addition of tralokinumab decreased the total average budget. Varying the proportion of patients switching to Q4W dosing between 0%, 10%, 25% and 50% resulted in the total average budget decreasing by 9% (average net budget saving of £9,821,579), 10% (£10,926,151), 12% (£12,583,009) and 15% (£15,344,440) respectively over the five years. Tralokinumab remained cost-saving across a range of pricing scenarios.

CONCLUSIONS: The addition of tralokinumab resulted in cost savings and was shown to have a significant impact on the annual budget of the UK. The estimated impact will depend on the proportion of patients that prescribers switch to Q4W dosing in the maintenance phase. Uncertainty in this parameter can be reduced by real-world studies of tralokinumab’s use in clinical practice.