Economic Evaluation of Add-on Levetiracetam for the Treatment of Refractory Partial Epilepsy in Korea
Psychiatry Investigation
;
: 185-193, 2009.
Article
in English
| WPRIM
| ID: wpr-183817
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE:
This study estimated the expected cost-effectiveness ratio expressed as the incremental cost per seizure-free day (SFD) gained and the incremental cost per quality adjusted life year (QALY) gained when using levetiracetam (LEV) as add-on therapy from a third-party payer perspective.METHODS:
A 1-year dose-escalation decision-tree model comparing LEV plus standard therapy (ST) with ST alone was designed to combine transition probabilities, costs and outcomes. The short-term outcomes and probabilities were derived from a prospective, open-label clinical trial with 100 Korean adults with refractory partial epilepsy. All data for the direct medical costs were derived from Korean cost data extracted from reports published by the National Health Insurance Corporation.RESULTS:
The average gain in SFDs attributed to LEV add-on was 18.3 days per patient per year and the incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) for LEV add-on were US$ 44 per SFD per patient and US$ 11,084 per QALY gained. All sensitivity analyses showed that the model was robust to the assumptions made.CONCLUSION:
The economic evaluation indicates that, given a wide range of assumptions, the increased cost of treating patients having refractory partial epilepsy with LEV may be partially offset by a reduction in other direct medical costs. This reduction is a consequence of an increase in the number of SFDs and improved quality of life.
Full text:
Available
Index:
WPRIM (Western Pacific)
Main subject:
Piracetam
/
Quality of Life
/
Prospective Studies
/
Epilepsies, Partial
/
Quality-Adjusted Life Years
/
Epilepsy
/
Insurance, Health, Reimbursement
/
Korea
/
National Health Programs
Type of study:
Controlled clinical trial
/
Health economic evaluation
/
Observational study
/
Prognostic study
Limits:
Adult
/
Humans
Country/Region as subject:
Asia
Language:
English
Journal:
Psychiatry Investigation
Year:
2009
Type:
Article
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