Cost-Effective Drug Switch Options After Unsuccessful Treatment With an SSRI for Depression. Psychiatr Serv 2017 Jan 01;68(1):81-87
Date
08/16/2016Pubmed ID
27524365DOI
10.1176/appi.ps.201500448Scopus ID
2-s2.0-85008144071 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site) 4 CitationsAbstract
OBJECTIVE: Multiple treatment options are available for patients who do not respond to initial treatment for major depressive disorder. Previous results show that bupropion, sertraline, and venlafaxine are comparable in terms of therapeutic effectiveness following unsuccessful treatment with citalopram. In this study, we extended these results by incorporating costs of treatment to determine if one option was more cost-effective relative to others.
METHODS: In the STAR*D (Sequenced Treatment Alternatives to Relieve Depression) trial, 727 patients were randomly assigned to a switch drug treatment during level 2; 239 (33%) were assigned to bupropion, 238 (33%) to sertraline, and 250 (34%) to venlafaxine. For each study medication, the total costs included the costs of the medication, other concomitant medication and antidepressants, and health care facility utilization. Effectiveness was measured as remission and response. Cost-effectiveness was assessed as net health benefits. Stochastic analysis was performed by using the bootstrapping method.
RESULTS: During level 2, mean medication costs were significantly higher for venlafaxine than for bupropion and sertraline ($968, $607, and $703, respectively). There were no significant differences among the switch medications in costs for other medications and health care facility utilization. Although the total costs were significantly different for the three medications (p=.025), none of the pairwise differences between medications were significant. Also, after jointly estimating costs and effects, the analyses found that net health benefits were not significantly different among the three drugs.
CONCLUSIONS: After unsuccessful treatment with citalopram, the switch options of bupropion, sertraline, and venlafaxine were not significantly different from each other in terms of cost-effectiveness.
Author List
Singh A, Brooks MM, Voorhees RE, Potter MA, Roberts MS, Luther JF, Wisniewski SRAuthor
Ashima Singh PhD Assistant Professor in the Pediatrics department at Medical College of WisconsinMESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold
AdultBupropion
Citalopram
Cost-Benefit Analysis
Depressive Disorder, Major
Dopamine Uptake Inhibitors
Female
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Serotonin and Noradrenaline Reuptake Inhibitors
Sertraline
Venlafaxine Hydrochloride
