TY - JOUR
T1 - Economic evaluation of medical treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) in the specialised care setting in Spain. Application to the cost-effectiveness of two drugs frequency used in its treatment
AU - Carballido, J.
AU - Ruiz-Cerdá, J. L.
AU - Unda, M.
AU - Baena, V.
AU - Campoy, P.
AU - Manasanch, J.
AU - Slof, Eric John
PY - 2008/1/1
Y1 - 2008/1/1
N2 - Objectives: To develop a pharmacoeconomic study in order to know the average cost of BPH diagnosis and follow-up in Spain in the Urology Department setting from the perspective of the public health system, considering two frequently used drugs in the Spanish Healthcare environment, an alpha-blocker (tamsulosin) and the lipido-sterolic extract of Serenoa repens (Permixon®). Material and methods: Direct healthcare costs of BPH diagnosis and treatment were determined for each clinical stage according to the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS): mild, moderate and severe. Data on the usage and unit costs of healthcare resources were obtained from a semi-structured interview with clinical experts. The clinical efficacy of the medical treatments was obtained from the PERMAL clinical study, where therapeutic equivalence between the two studied drugs was observed. Results: For patients treated in the Urology Department setting, the average annual cost of diagnostic tests and medical visits related to mild, moderate or severe BPH symptoms were, respectively, € 124, € 207, and € 286. The average annual cost of the drugs, including adverse effects treatment, was € 211 for Permixon® and € 346 for tamsulosin. Discussion: Costs of medical care of BPH increases with symptom intensity. Pharmacological treatment makes up a significant part of the disease's cost. According to the model used, treatment with Permixon® is considerably more cost-effective than with tamsulosin, offering average yearly savings of € 135 per patient.
AB - Objectives: To develop a pharmacoeconomic study in order to know the average cost of BPH diagnosis and follow-up in Spain in the Urology Department setting from the perspective of the public health system, considering two frequently used drugs in the Spanish Healthcare environment, an alpha-blocker (tamsulosin) and the lipido-sterolic extract of Serenoa repens (Permixon®). Material and methods: Direct healthcare costs of BPH diagnosis and treatment were determined for each clinical stage according to the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS): mild, moderate and severe. Data on the usage and unit costs of healthcare resources were obtained from a semi-structured interview with clinical experts. The clinical efficacy of the medical treatments was obtained from the PERMAL clinical study, where therapeutic equivalence between the two studied drugs was observed. Results: For patients treated in the Urology Department setting, the average annual cost of diagnostic tests and medical visits related to mild, moderate or severe BPH symptoms were, respectively, € 124, € 207, and € 286. The average annual cost of the drugs, including adverse effects treatment, was € 211 for Permixon® and € 346 for tamsulosin. Discussion: Costs of medical care of BPH increases with symptom intensity. Pharmacological treatment makes up a significant part of the disease's cost. According to the model used, treatment with Permixon® is considerably more cost-effective than with tamsulosin, offering average yearly savings of € 135 per patient.
KW - Benign prostatic hyperplasia
KW - Cost effectiveness analysis
KW - Drug therapy
KW - Healthcare resources
KW - Serenoa repens
KW - Tamsulosin
M3 - Article
SN - 0210-4806
VL - 32
SP - 916
EP - 925
JO - Actas Urologicas Espanolas
JF - Actas Urologicas Espanolas
IS - 9
ER -
