Year: 2012-13

Company: City of Hope

Liaison(s): Richard Jove

City of Hope (COH) is a non-profit institution dedicated to fighting life-threatening diseases using a three-pronged approach that combines biomedical research, treatment and education. COH’s research arm, the Beckman Research Institute, focuses on diabetes and HIV/AIDS, but has a particular emphasis on cancer research. This emphasis has produced results that have garnered national and worldwide recognition by being included within The National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers. Recent advances in our understanding of the molecular basis of cancer have resulted in a surge in ‘personalized medicines’ for the treatment of cancer. These personalized medicines target specific molecular changes which cause different forms of cancer. Fortunately, some personalized medicines such as Gleevec® and Herceptin® have resulted in significant improvement in therapy while producing fewer side effects than older medicines. The Beckman Research Institute has invested heavily in research aimed at the expanding the number of personalized therapies. To better understand the impact personalized medicines, the Beckman Research Institute commissioned this TMP to investigate the impact of these medicines from a patient and payer perspective. In order to create cost effectiveness models, the team investigated all personalized therapeutics from 1995 until today creating a short list of drugs which have made a major impact in the oncology disease space. A quantitative model was developed to determine the cost per life month added based on the clinical utility, adverse events and overall survival rate. The output from these models will be used to determine the cost-effectiveness ratios of major personalized medicine therapies and will be analyzed using cost effective thresholds around the world. It is hoped that these quantitative models will help guide COH to better understand the required cost-effectiveness ratios necessary to create revolutionary personalized medicines.