Cost-effectiveness of hydroxyurea in sickle cell anemia

✍ Scribed by Moore, Richard D.; Charache, Samuel; Terrin, Michael L.; Barton, Franca B.; Ballas, Samir K.

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2000
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 38 KB
• Volume: 64
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0361-8609
• DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1096-8652(200005)64:1<26::aid-ajh5>3.0.co;2-f

✦ Synopsis

The Multicenter Study of Hydroxyurea in Sickle Cell Anemia (MSH) demonstrated the efficacy of hydroxyurea in reducing the rate of painful crises compared to placebo. We used resource utilization data collected in the MSH to determine the cost-effectiveness of hydroxyurea. The MSH was a randomized, placebo-controlled double-blind clinical trial involving 299 patients at 21 sites. The primary outcome, visit to a medical facility, was one of the criteria to define occurrence of painful crisis. Cost estimates were applied to all outpatient and emergency department visits and inpatient hospital stays that were classified as a crisis. Other resources for which cost estimates were applied included hospitalization for chest syndrome, analgesics received, hydroxyurea dosing, laboratory testing, and clinic visits for management of patient care. Annualized differential costs were calculated between hydroxyurea-and placebo-receiving patients. Hospitalization for painful crisis accounted for the majority of costs in both arms of the study, with an annual mean of $12,160 (95% CI: $9,440, $14,880) for hydroxyurea and $17,290 (95% CI: $13,010, $21,570) for placebo. The difference in means was $5,130 (95% CI: $60, $10,200;