Aurinia Pharmaceuticals (NSDQ:AUPH) announced today that it received a favorable assessment of the cost-effectiveness of Lupkynis.
Victoria, British Columbia-based Aurinia’s Lukynis (voclosporin) was evaluated in an independent analysis by the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER) in a revised evidence report issued on March 12, 2021, according to a news release.
The evaluation found that Lupkynis offers a valuable new treatment option for patients living with lupus nephritis (LN) and, at the estimated net price, it was determined that the therapy is priced in alignment with ICER’s recommended health-benefit price benchmark ranges.
According to Aurinia, medical expenses are four times higher for those with LN, a progression of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), compared to those with SLE alone. Additionally, black people with SLE are four times more likely to develop the condition.
ICER’s report determined that Lupkynis is more cost-effective across several sub-groups of LN patient populations, including black patients, compared to the general population. The report notes that this could have the potential to reduce historic disparities.
The report also found that voclosporin, when added to standard therapy, nearly doubled the complete response and markedly increased the partial response (PR) of patients at one year compared with standard therapy alone.
“We are encouraged by ICER’s recognition of the burden of lupus nephritis, particularly its impact on the racial disparities that we know exist. ICER’s assessment of Lupkynis is consistent with the real-world view of Lupkynis’ value we are hearing during our positive interactions with both physicians and payers during the first two months since our launch,” Aurinia CEO Peter Greenleaf said in the release. “As we observed in our clinical studies, patients responded to voclosporin nearly two times faster than the current standard of care within one year and we are confident that with this time-to-response and efficacy data, Lupkynis provides significant therapeutic and economic value for patients and the healthcare system.”
