Lorlatinib Linked to Lower NHS Costs Through Brain Metastases Prevention
Posted: Wednesday, July 22, 2026
An economic model estimated that managing patients with ALK-positive advanced non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who developed brain metastases cost the UK National Health Service (NHS) more than three times as much during the first year of treatment as managing patients without brain metastases, with lower cumulative rates of brain metastases associated with lorlatinib translating into increasing cost savings over time. The findings were reported in the journal Lung Cancer Management by Shobhit Baijal, MBBS BSc (Hons), MRCP, of University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Trust, United Kingdom, and colleagues.
The model incorporated estimated NHS health care resource use together with cumulative incidence data for brain metastases from the CROWN, ALEX, ALESIA, and ALTA-1L clinical trials evaluating lorlatinib, crizotinib, alectinib, and brigatinib. To further inform health care resource use, the investigators also conducted validation interviews with three UK medical oncologists specializing in lung cancer.
During the first year of treatment, the estimated annual management cost was £14,870 for patients with brain metastases vs £4,133 for those without brain metastases. According to the investigators, the NHS health care resource use cost savings associated with lorlatinib increased significantly over time and were greater among patients who did not have brain metastases at baseline, reflecting the prevention of brain metastases with first-line lorlatinib.
“The longitudinal cost data demonstrate that lorlatinib leads to potentially lower NHS management costs of brain metastases in patients with ALK-positive advanced NSCLC,” the investigators concluded.
Disclosure: For full disclosures of the study authors, visit tandfonline.com.
