Cost-effectiveness of outpatient treatment in depressive patients with escitalopram in Germany

verfasst von

Werner Kulp, J. M. Graf Von Der Schulenburg, Wolfgang Greiner

Abstract

We investigated the cost-effectiveness of escitalopram (10 mg daily dose) vs. venlafaxine XR (75 mg daily dose) in a German outpatient setting for the treatment of unipolar depression (MADRS score 20-34) over a period of 70 days. To assess the cost effectiveness of the two substances we combined data from physician's surveys and clinical response data; cost-effectiveness was calculated using a Markov model. In a second step we considered the therapeutic decisions of the attending physicians. Cost-effectiveness was indicated as costs per successfully treated patient. Escitalopram demonstrated a more favorable cost-effectiveness ratio than venlafaxine XR. The analysis of treatment patterns showed that attending physicians intervene fairly early if the chosen therapy is ineffective. Additional costs for the use of venlafaxine XR over those of escitalopram were estimated from €7,446 to €9.836 per successfully treated per patient. Hence escitalopram may be a cost-effective alternative to venlafaxine XR in outpatient care setting in Germany.

Organisationseinheit(en)

Institut für Versicherungsbetriebslehre

Externe Organisation(en)

Universität Bielefeld

Typ

Artikel

Journal

European Journal of Health Economics

Band

6

Seiten

317-321

Anzahl der Seiten

5

ISSN

1618-7598

Publikationsdatum

12.2005

Publikationsstatus

Veröffentlicht

Peer-reviewed

Ja

ASJC Scopus Sachgebiete

Volkswirtschaftslehre, Ökonometrie und Finanzen (sonstige), Health policy

Ziele für nachhaltige Entwicklung

SDG 3 – Gute Gesundheit und Wohlergehen

Elektronische Version(en)

https://doi.org/10.1007/s10198-005-0306-1 (Zugang: Geschlossen)