Superior Cost Effectiveness of Penile Plication vs Intralesional Collagenase Injection for Treatment of Peyronie's Disease Deformities

Introduction In 2013 injection of collagenase clostridium histolyticum became the first nonsurgical FDA (Food and Drug Administration) approved treatment for Peyronie's disease. We evaluated the cost effectiveness of collagenase injection compared to penile plication. Methods A decision tree model using TreeAge Pro Healthcare (TreeAge Software, Inc., Williamstown, Massachusetts) was developed for cost analysis comparing collagenase clostridium histolyticum and penile plication. Treatment success was defined as penile curvature of 30 degrees or less. Data from IMPRESS (Investigation for Maximal Peyronie's Reduction Efficacy and Safety Studies) I and II were used to calculate the probability of success, and stratified by severity of disease (moderate defined as 30 to 60 degrees and severe as 61 to 90 degrees). We assumed that 50% of injection failures proceeded to secondary plication. Material costs of medications, office visits, and facility and surgical fees, and predicted costs of complications were obtained from our billing department using real-world patient data. For penile plication 90% success was assumed based on published series. All failed plications were assumed to undergo repeat plication. Results The calculated probability of treatment success after injection was 49.5% for moderate curvature (30 to 60 degrees) and 12% for severe curvature (61 to 90 degrees). Per patient plication cost was $3,039, while injection pathway was $25,856 for moderate disease and $26,375 for severe disease. One-way sensitivity analyses revealed cost equivalence at $2,558 for injection. No increase in efficacy of collagenase injection accomplished cost equivalence at current pricing. Conclusions Collagenase clostridium histolyticum treatment was at least 8 times more expensive than penile plication. Achieving cost equivalence would require a significant decrease in drug cost. Collagenase clostridium histolyticum appears to be most appropriate for men with moderate, as opposed to severe, penile deformities.