[Costs of treatment in patients with schizophrenia switched to amisulpride--one-year follow-up]. / Az amisulpridre történô átállítás hatása a szkizofréniával kapcsolatos költségekre egyéves követés során.

OBJECTIVES: In our present research we have studied the costs associated with switching schizophrenia patients to amisulpride as well as the efficacy of amisulpride treatment. We wanted to explore whether the relatively higher costs of amisulpride can be recovered under the current Hungarian economic and financing conditions. METHODS: From 2002, we analysed clinical improvement with a 6 months follow-up measured by CGI and also compared the costs that were incurred before and after switching in 76 patients suffering from schizophrenia who received amisulpride instead of their previous treatment with typical or atypical antipsychotics. In a second, retrospective phase of the study which lasted for 6 months, we studied the willingness of investigators and patients to continue amisulpride treatment. During this period of treatment both the investigators and the patients were unaware of the fact that the circumstances of treatment would be investigated later; thus, we could determine the number of investigators and patients who decided on the continuation of amisulpride in this phase, and how costs changed later on. In our analysis we followed the cost evaluation methodology introduced earlier by Agnes Rupp. RESULTS: 68 patients were available for the second phase of the study, 65 continued the treatment with amisulpride. Amisulpride has demonstrated cost neutrality in both phases of the study. Higher costs of this medicine have been compensated by an increase in productivity and the resulting cost reduction. Amisulpride treatment was associated with a significant improvement of CGI-measures. CONCLUSIONS: In an open, non-controlled study, modelling a field study in its second phase, amisulpride has been shown to be an effective antipsychotic which is readily accepted by patients and clinicians and which can be prescribed without increasing costs.

[Costs related to change to amisulpride in patients suffering from schizophrenia]. / Az amisulpridre történõ átállítás hatása a szkizofréniával kapcsolatos költségekre.

OBJECTIVES: The present research studied the cost effects of converting patients suffering from schizophrenia to the use of amisulpride, in order to learn whether the relatively higher medicine costs were compensated for under the Hungarian economic and financing conditions. METHODS: We analysed and compared costs having occurred before and after conversion in the case of 76 patients suffering from schizophrenia who got amisulpride instead of other typical or atypical antipsychotics in hospital. The analysis adhered to the methodology introduced by Agnes Rupp. RESULTS: In conformity with earlier investigations in Hungary performed with atypical antipsychotics, amisulpride has also proved its cost neutrality under local economic and financing conditions. Namely, higher disbursements for medicaments are compensated for by productivity increase, indicative of amisulpride's effectiveness, implying decreased economic (and other) burdens to family members. Te remarkable cost ratio improvement in case of patients defined as therapy resistant has played an important role in cost neutrality. CONCLUSIONS: Amisulpride is an effective antipsychotic which can be prescribed without increasing costs, and in case of therapy resistant patients, it appears to have significant cost sparing effects.