Costs and outcomes of risperidone treatment in schizophrenia in the Czech Republic.
The increasing cost of pharmaceuticals in the Czech Republic has led to restrictions on the prescription of more expensive atypical antipsychotics. The aim of the study was to compare the costs and outcomes of using risperidone versus classical neuroleptics in treatment of schizophrenia in order to see if there was any cost advantage in restricting use of more recent antipsychotics. Sixty-seven patients (39 women) with a mean age of 34.6 years (S.D. = 9.74) suffering from schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder were treated with risperidone while 67 patients (39 women) with the same diagnoses with a mean age of 35.7 years (S.D. = 9.91) received standard neuroleptics. Yearly direct medical costs and outcomes (indicated by the average Global Assessment of Functioning score) were assessed retrospectively in an open, intent-to-treat study by abstracting psychiatric outpatient charts. The outcomes were not significantly different between the treatment groups while the risperidone treatment was significantly more expensive than the therapy with standard neuroleptics. This result which appears to be inconsistent with the literature was caused by the cheap labor force in the Czech Republic. The difference between the followed treatments in the direct costs will probably become insignificant in the future when the country's economy will be more developed.
Hosák
L
L
Department of Psychiatry, Charles University, 500 05 Hradec Králové, Czech Republic. hosak@lfhk.cuni.cz
Bahbouh
R
R
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000191:economics* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D018153:Czech Republic; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000191:economics; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000191:economics; D008297:Male; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000191:economics* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018967:Risperidone / Q000191:economics* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000191:economics* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D014150:Antipsychotic Agents; D018967:Risperidone