Administering bisoprolol adjuvant to standard therapy in heart failure patients is at least cost neutral, as additional drug costs are compensated by avoided inpatient treatment costs.
Does bisoprolol adjuvant to standard therapy reduce direct costs in heart failure patients in the UK?
Adding bisoprolol to standard heart failure therapy is at least cost-neutral in the UK, as drug costs are offset by reduced hospital admissions.
SUMMARY The clinical benefits of beta‐blockers in heart failure are currently subject to intense debate and are being investigated. The economic impact of beta‐blockade, however, has largely remained unexplored. The Cardiac Insufficiency Bisoprolol Study (CIBIS), while failing to show statistically significant reduction in mortality over conventional therapy, demonstrates that the administration of bisoprolol adjuvant to standard therapy leads to a significant reduction in hospital admission. The present study is a cost minimisation analysis based on CIBIS data for the UK and is restricted to direct costs only. The costs of bisoprolol medication and inpatient treatment of heart failure are considered. The ‘base case’ analysis and the sensitivity analyses carried on all cosidriver parameters show that administering bisoprolol to heart failure patients adjuvantly to the standard therapy is at least cost neutral. Additional drug costs incurred by bisoprolol are compensated by the inpatient treatment costs of heart failure avoided. All other non‐quantifiable clinical benefits such as improvement of New York Heart Association functional class are positive extras to patients and the National Health Service.
Malek et al. (1999) studied Heart failure. Bisoprolol vs. Conventional therapy was evaluated on Direct costs. Administering bisoprolol adjuvant to standard therapy in heart failure patients is at least cost neutral, as additional drug costs are compensated by avoided inpatient treatment costs.