Guidance on appropriate methods to obtain a comparator arm for the cost-effectiveness analysis of tumor-agnostic drugs is needed. In recent years, multiple tumor-agnostic drugs have been submitted to health technology assessment (HTA) bodies based on data from single-arm basket trials. These target a specific genetic mutation, as opposed to targeting a specific tumor type. Since HTA bodies are interested in the comparative effectiveness of a treatment, manufacturers have used several methods to obtain a synthetic control arm in their submissions. This study provides an overview of the recommendations by HTA bodies on the methodology to obtain comparator efficacy.

A targeted literature review will be conducted focusing on the methodology used to obtain a comparator arm in the context of tumor-agnostic drugs. The search will cover key HTA organizations; including the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), Haute Autorité de Santé (HAS) and the Canadian Agency for Drugs & Technologies in Health (CADTH). Methodologies used in entrectinib and larotrectinib submissions will be extracted. Particular focus will be given on the impact of the applied methodology to the reimbursement decision, as well as key critiques by the HTA bodies. Key search terms will include the following: ‘tumor-agnostic’, ‘histology independent’, ‘HIT’, ‘entrectinib’, ‘larotrectinib’.

An overview of the results will be presented. These will include the applied methodology for obtaining a comparator arm, critiques and recommendations from HTA bodies, and the impact these methodologies had on the overall reimbursement decision. This will enable comparison of HTA decision-making across regions, and key evidence gaps that need to be further explored.

The results of this study could be useful in the future assessment of tumor-agnostic drug submissions, focusing on the methodology used to obtain comparator efficacy.