ICER Says AstraZeneca's New Blood Pressure Drug Baxfendy Is Not Cost-Effective

AstraZeneca's first-in-class hypertension drug Baxfendy (baxdrostat) is not cost-effective at its current price, according to a recent Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER) draft report.

ICER concludes Baxfendy is too expensive relative to its benefits compared with generic alternatives such as spironolactone, eplerenone, and amiloride for treating resistant or uncontrolled hypertension.

At a wholesale acquisition cost of about $900 for 30 tablets, the annual cost of Baxfendy is roughly $10,800–$10,950, which leads to incremental cost-effectiveness ratios far above commonly used thresholds (for example, above $50,000–$200,000 per QALY or evLY gained).

ICER judges the health benefits of baxdrostat and a similar drug, lorundrostat, as "promising but inconclusive" since there is limited outcomes data showing superiority over standard drugs like amlodipine.