The importance of test accuracy in economic evaluations of companion diagnostics

Abstract

Background: Economic evaluations of companion diagnostics often fail to include the impact that tests have on the overall economic value of test-drug combinations.

Methods: To illustrate the importance of test accuracy on the cost-effectiveness of companion diagnostics by means of examples. Data were extracted from the literature.

Results: The accuracy of a test and in particularly its specificity, is often more influential on the overall cost-effectiveness results than the price of the test. Specificity becomes more crucial when prevalence of the biomarker is low. Multiple, simultaneous testing faces specific challenges regarding its overall specificity.

Conclusion: This article opens a discussion on some fundamental points linked to economic evaluations of test-therapy combinations.

Keywords: companion diagnostics; cost–effectiveness; economic evaluation; next-generation sequencing; test accuracy.