Table 6

Evaluation of AHRQ's Pharmaceutical Outcomes Portfolio

Table 6: Level 1 Findings: Cost and Economics of Therapeutics

CERT	Population	Findings
HMO	Diabetic patients	Increasing co-pay of more that $10 for thirty day supply for oral hypoglycemics was associated with significantly reduced use.
Duke	Cardiac patients	Examined economic effects of beta-blocker therapies. Found that there are no clear financial incentives for hospitals and physicians, even though social and Medicare costs decreased.
Duke	Cardiac patients	Study projected the economic impact of drug-eluting stents on a hospital system (Duke Medical Center) $8.1 million loss was predicted in the first year and $8.7 million loss in subsequent years
Alabama	Arthritis patients	Found that glucocorticoid users face non-negligible incremental health care costs compared to non-users. For an estimated one million chronic glucocorticoid users, the costs to the health care system would be over $1.2 billion annually in the U.S. alone for treatment of adverse effects attributed to glucocorticoids.
Duke	Cardiac patients	Study evaluated the economic effects of extending the use of clopidogrel from one month to twelve months in patients who have received a percutaneous coronary intervention. Extending therapy cost $879 and reduced the risk of myocardial infarction by 2.6%. The cost would be $15,696 per life year saved. Thus, this potential change in practice appeared economically attractive.

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Page last reviewed December 2007

Internet Citation: Table 6: Evaluation of AHRQ's Pharmaceutical Outcomes Portfolio. December 2007. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. http://archive.ahrq.gov/research/findings/final-reports/pharmportfolio/table6.html