Are SSRIs a Cost-Effective Alternative to Tricyclics?

1996 ◽  
Vol 168 (4) ◽  
pp. 404-409 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew Hotopf ◽  
Glyn Lewis ◽  
Charles Normand

BackgroundSelective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are more expensive than tricyclics. Reports have suggested that SSRIs are cost-effective because they are better tolerated and safer in overdose.MethodA systematic review of all randomised controlled trials (RCTs), meta-analyses, and cost-effectiveness studies comparing SSRIs and tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs).ResultsNone of the RCTs provided an economic analysis and there were methodological problems in the majority which would preclude this approach. Meta-analyses suggest that clinical efficacy is equivalent but slightly fewer patients prescribed SSRIs drop out of RCTs. Cost-effectiveness studies have been based on crude ‘modelling’ approaches and over-estimate the difference in attrition rates and the cost of treatment failure. It appears impossible to evaluate the economic aspects of suicide because of its rarity.ConclusionsThere is no evidence to suggest that SSRIs are more cost-effective than TCAs. The debate will only be concluded when a prospective cost-effectiveness study is done in the setting of a large primary care based RCT.

1998 ◽  
Vol 172 (6) ◽  
pp. 506-512 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin R. J. Knapp ◽  
Isaac M. Marks ◽  
Jane Wolstenholme ◽  
Jennifer K. Beecham ◽  
Jack Astin ◽  
...  

BackgroundThe Daily Living Programme (DLP) offered intensive home-based care with problem-centred case management for seriously mentally ill people facing crisis admission to the Maudsley Hospital, London. The cost-effectiveness of the DLP was examined over four years.MethodA randomised controlled study examined cost-effectiveness of DLP versus standard in/out-patient hospital care over 20 months, followed by a randomised controlled withdrawal of half the DLP patients into standard care. Three patient groups were compared over 45 months: DLP throughout the period, DLP for 20 months followed by standard care, and standard care throughout. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were conducted (the latter to standardise for possible inter-sample differences stemming from sample attrition and to explore sources of within-sample variation).ResultsThe DLP was more cost-effective than control care over months 1–20, and also over the full 45-month period, but the difference between groups may have disappeared by the end of month 45.ConclusionsThe reduction of the cost-effectiveness advantage for home-based care was perhaps partly due to the attenuation of DLP care, although sample attrition left some comparisons under-powered.


Stroke ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 47 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Guijing Wang ◽  
Heesoo Joo ◽  
Mary G George

Introduction: Intravenous recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (IV rtPA) is recommended treatment for acute ischemic stroke patients, but the cost-effectiveness of IV rtPA within different time windows after the onset of acute ischemic stroke is not well reviewed. Objectives: We conducted a literature review of the cost-effectiveness studies about IV rtPA. Methods: A literature search was conducted using PubMed, MEDLINE, and EconLit, with the key words stroke, cost, economic benefit, saving, cost-effectiveness, tissue plasminogen activator, and rtPA. The review is limited to original research articles published during 1995–2014 in English-language peer-reviewed journals. Results: We found 15 studies meeting our criteria for this review. Nine of them were cost-effectiveness studies of IV rtPA treatment within 0-3 hours after stroke onset, 2 studies within 3-4.5 hours, 3 studies within 0-4.5 hours, and 1 study within 0-6 hours. IV rtPA is a cost-saving or a cost-effectiveness strategy from most of the study results. Only one study showed incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of IV rtPA within one year was marginally above $50,000 per QALY threshold. IV rtPA within 0-3 hours after stroke led to cost savings for lifetime or 30 years, and IV rtPA within 3-4.5 hours after stroke increased costs but still was cost-effective. Conclusions: The literature generally showed that intravenous IV rtPA was a dominant or a cost-effective strategy compared to traditional treatment for acute ischemic stroke patients without IV rtPA. The findings from the literature lacked generalizability because of limited data and various assumptions.


2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. e000526 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giulia Greco ◽  
Louise Knight ◽  
Willington Ssekadde ◽  
Sophie Namy ◽  
Dipak Naker ◽  
...  

IntroductionThis paper presents the cost and cost-effectiveness of the Good School Toolkit (GST), a programme aimed at reducing physical violence perpetrated by school staff to students in Uganda.MethodsThe effectiveness of the Toolkit was tested with a cluster randomised controlled trial in 42 primary schools in Luwero District, Uganda. A full economic costing evaluation and cost-effectiveness analysis were conducted alongside the trial. Both financial and economic costs were collected retrospectively from the provider’s perspective to estimate total and unit costs.ResultsThe total cost of setting up and running the Toolkit over the 18-month trial period is estimated at US$397 233, excluding process monitor (M&E) activities. The cost to run the intervention is US$7429 per school annually, or US$15 per primary school pupil annually, in the trial intervention schools. It is estimated that the intervention has averted 1620 cases of past-week physical violence during the 18-month implementation period. The total cost per case of violence averted is US$244, and the annual implementation cost is US$96 per case averted during the trial.ConclusionsThe GST is a cost-effective intervention for reducing violence against pupils in primary schools in Uganda. It compares favourably against other violence reduction interventions in the region.


2014 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 273-281 ◽  
Author(s):  
Davide Minniti ◽  
Ottavio Davini ◽  
Maria Rosaria Gualano ◽  
Maria Michela Gianino

Objectives:The study question was whether dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) alone is more cost-effective for identifying postmenopausal women with osteoporosis than a two-step procedure with quantitative ultrasound sonography (QUS) plus DXA. To answer this question, a systematic review was performed.Methods:Electronic databases (PubMed, INAHTA, Health Evidence Network, NIHR, the Health Technology Assessment program, the NHS Economic Evaluation Database, Research Papers in Economics, Web of Science, Scopus, and EconLit) were searched for cost-effectiveness publications. Two independent reviewers selected eligible publications based on the inclusion/exclusion criteria. Quality assessment of economic evaluations was undertaken using the Drummond checklist.Results:Seven journal articles and four reports were reviewed. The cost per true positive case diagnosed by DXA was found to be higher than that for diagnosis by QUS+DXA in two articles. In one article it was found to be lower. In three studies, the results were not conclusive. These articles were characterized by the differences in the types of devices, parameters and thresholds on the QUS and DXA tests and the unit costs of the DXA and QUS tests as well as by variability in the sensitivity and specificity of the techniques and the prevalence of osteoporosis.Conclusions:The publications reviewed did not provide clear-cut evidence for drawing conclusions about which screening test may be more cost-effective for identifying postmenopausal women with osteoporosis.


2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 310-316
Author(s):  
Zakieh Ostad-Ahmadi ◽  
◽  
Mohammad-Reza Modabberi ◽  
Ali Mostafaie ◽  
◽  
...  

AIM: To assess the effectiveness, safety, and cost-effectiveness of the Argus II in treatment of the retinitis pigmentosa (RP) patients. METHODS: The ProQuest, Web of Science, EMBASE, MEDLINE (via PubMed) were searched using combinations of the keywords of Argus, safety, effectiveness, bionic eye, retinal prosthesis, and RP through March 2018. The retrieved records were screened and then assessed for eligibility. RESULTS: Totally 926 records were retrieved from the searched databases and finally 12 studies included. The RP patients showed improvements in visual function after receiving the prosthesis, compared to the time before the prosthesis or the time it was off. This was measured by square localization, direction of motion, and grating visual acuity tests. No major adverse effect was reported for the Argus II prosthesis itself and/or the surgery to implement it, but the most frequently reported items were hypotony, and conjunctival dehiscence. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) was calculated to be €14603 per quality-adjusted life year (QALY) in UK and $207 616 per QALY in Canada. CONCLUSION: The available evidence shows that the Argus II prosthesis in RP patients is effective in improvement of their visual function. Some minor adverse effects are reported for the prosthesis. The cost-effectiveness studies show that the technology is cost-effective only at high levels of willingness-to-pay.


2018 ◽  
Vol 49 (08) ◽  
pp. 1324-1334 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine Henderson ◽  
Simon Dixon ◽  
Annette Bauer ◽  
Martin Knapp ◽  
C. Jane Morrell ◽  
...  

AbstractBackgroundThere is evidence for the cost-effectiveness of health visitor (HV) training to assess postnatal depression (PND) and deliver psychological approaches to women at risk of depression. Whether this approach is cost-effective for lower-risk women is unknown. There is a need to know the cost of HV-delivered universal provision, and how much it might cost to improve health-related quality of life for postnatal women. A sub-study of a cluster-randomised controlled trial in the former Trent region (England) previously investigated the effectiveness of PoNDER HV training in mothers at lower risk of PND. We conducted a parallel cost-effectiveness analysis at 6-months postnatal for all mothers with lower-risk status attributed to an Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) score <12 at 6-weeks postnatal.MethodsIntervention HVs were trained in assessment and cognitive behavioural or person-centred psychological support techniques to prevent depression. Outcomes examined: quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) gains over the period between 6 weeks and 6 months derived from SF-6D (from SF-36); risk-of-depression at 6 months (dichotomising 6-month EPDS scores into lower risk (<12) and at-risk (⩾12).ResultsIn lower-risk women, 1474 intervention (63 clusters) and 767 control participants (37 clusters) had valid 6-week and 6-month EPDS scores. Costs and outcomes data were available for 1459 participants. 6-month adjusted costs were £82 lower in intervention than control groups, with 0.002 additional QALY gained. The probability of cost-effectiveness at £20 000 was very high (99%).ConclusionsPoNDER HV training was highly cost-effective in preventing symptoms of PND in a population of lower-risk women and cost-reducing over 6 months.


1998 ◽  
Vol 172 (5) ◽  
pp. 420-424 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Healey ◽  
Martin Knapp ◽  
Jack Astin ◽  
Jennifer Beecham ◽  
Roisin Kemp ◽  
...  

BackgroundNon-compliance rates with antipsychotic medication can be high, and the personal and societal costs are considerable. A new psychological intervention, compliance therapy seeks to improve compliance and patient outcomes and reduce treatment costs.MethodA randomised controlled study examined the cost-effectiveness of compliance therapy compared to nonspecific counselling over 18 months for 74 people with psychosis admitted as inpatients at the Maudsley Hospital. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were conducted to test for differences and to explore inter-patient cost variations.ResultsCompliance therapy is more effective and is no more expensive. Consequently, compliance therapy is more cost-effective than non-specific counselling at six, 12 and 18 months.ConclusionsThere are compliance, outcome and cost-effectiveness arguments in favour of compliance therapy in preference to non-specific counselling.


Cephalalgia ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 54-62 ◽  
Author(s):  
J Ramsberg ◽  
M Henriksson

The literature suggests that triptans are cost effective compared with older types of migraine treatment. However, which of the triptans that is most cost effective has not been established. We compared the costs and effects of triptan treatment from a Swedish societal perspective, using evidence from the literature. A probabilistic cost-effectiveness model was constructed to investigate the costs and effects of treating a single attack in a typical migraine patient. The end-point used in the base-case analysis was sustained pain free without any adverse events (SNAE). We searched the scientific literature for meta-analyses reporting the efficacy of oral triptans. All treatments except rizatriptan 10 mg and eletriptan 40 mg were dominated. The incremental cost per SNAE of rizatriptan 10 mg compared with eletriptan 40 mg was approximately €100. There was substantial uncertainty concerning the results, but probabilistic analysis showed that rizatriptan 10 mg and eletriptan 40 mg had the highest probability of being cost-effective.


BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. e042081
Author(s):  
Cristina Fernandez-Garcia ◽  
Laura Ternent ◽  
Tara Marie Homer ◽  
Helen Rodgers ◽  
Helen Bosomworth ◽  
...  

ObjectiveTo determine whether robot-assisted training is cost-effective compared with an enhanced upper limb therapy (EULT) programme or usual care.DesignEconomic evaluation within a randomised controlled trial.SettingFour National Health Service (NHS) centres in the UK: Queen’s Hospital, Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust; Northwick Park Hospital, London Northwest Healthcare NHS Trust; Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde; and North Tyneside General Hospital, Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust.Participants770 participants aged 18 years or older with moderate or severe upper limb functional limitation from first-ever stroke.InterventionsParticipants randomised to one of three programmes provided over a 12-week period: robot-assisted training plus usual care; the EULT programme plus usual care or usual care.Main economic outcome measuresMean healthcare resource use; costs to the NHS and personal social services in 2018 pounds; utility scores based on EQ-5D-5L responses and quality-adjusted life years (QALYs). Cost-effectiveness reported as incremental cost per QALY and cost-effectiveness acceptability curves.ResultsAt 6 months, on average usual care was the least costly option (£3785) followed by EULT (£4451) with robot-assisted training being the most costly (£5387). The mean difference in total costs between the usual care and robot-assisted training groups (£1601) was statistically significant (p<0.001). Mean QALYs were highest for the EULT group (0.23) but no evidence of a difference (p=0.995) was observed between the robot-assisted training (0.21) and usual care groups (0.21). The incremental cost per QALY at 6 months for participants randomised to EULT compared with usual care was £74 100. Cost-effectiveness acceptability curves showed that robot-assisted training was unlikely to be cost-effective and that EULT had a 19% chance of being cost-effective at the £20 000 willingness to pay (WTP) threshold. Usual care was most likely to be cost-effective at all the WTP values considered in the analysis.ConclusionsThe cost-effectiveness analysis suggested that neither robot-assisted training nor EULT, as delivered in this trial, were likely to be cost-effective at any of the cost per QALY thresholds considered.Trial registration numberISRCTN69371850.


BMJ Open ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. e023390 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Paganini ◽  
Jiaxi Lin ◽  
Fanny Kählke ◽  
Claudia Buntrock ◽  
Delia Leiding ◽  
...  

ObjectiveThis study aims at evaluating the cost-effectiveness and cost-utility of a guided and unguided internet-based intervention for chronic pain patients (ACTonPainguidedand ACTonPainunguided) compared with a waitlist control group (CG) as well as the comparative cost-effectiveness of the guided and the unguided version.DesignThis is a health economic evaluation alongside a three-arm randomised controlled trial from a societal perspective. Assessments were conducted at baseline, 9 weeks and 6 months after randomisation.SettingParticipants were recruited through online and offline strategies and in collaboration with a health insurance company.Participants302 adults (≥18 years, pain for at least 6 months) were randomly allocated to one of the three groups (ACTonPainguided, ACTonPainunguided, CG).InterventionsACTonPain consists of seven modules and is based on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. ACTonPainguidedand ACTonPainunguidedonly differ in provision of human support.Primary and secondary outcome measuresMain outcomes of the cost-effectiveness and the cost-utility analyses were meaningful change in pain interference (treatment response) and quality-adjusted life years (QALYs), respectively. Economic evaluation estimates were the incremental cost-effectiveness and cost-utility ratio (ICER/ICUR).ResultsAt 6-month follow-up, treatment response and QALYs were highest in ACTonPainguided(44% and 0.280; mean costs = €6,945), followed by ACTonPainunguided(28% and 0.266; mean costs = €6,560) and the CG (16% and 0.244; mean costs = €6,908). ACTonPainguidedvs CG revealed an ICER of €45 and an ICUR of €604.ACTonPainunguideddominated CG. At a willingness-to-pay of €0 the probability of being cost-effective was 50% for ACTonPainguided(vs CG, for both treatment response and QALY gained) and 67% for ACTonPainunguided(vs CG, for both treatment response and QALY gained). These probabilities rose to 95% when society’s willingness-to-pay is €91,000 (ACTonPainguided) and €127,000 (ACTonPainunguided) per QALY gained. ACTonPainguidedvs ACTonPainunguidedrevealed an ICER of €2,374 and an ICUR of €45,993.ConclusionsDepending on society’s willingness-to-pay, ACTonPain is a potentially cost-effective adjunct to established pain treatment. ACTonPainunguided(vs CG) revealed lower costs at better health outcomes. However, uncertainty has to be considered. Direct comparison of the two interventions does not indicate a preference for ACTonPainguided.Trial registration numberDRKS00006183.


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