title: Cost-effectiveness of adjuvant treatment with acamprosate in maintaining abstinence in alcohol dependent patients.
abstract: An open prospective cohort study was performed in Germany in order to evaluate the costs of treating alcohol dependence under real-world conditions. Eight hundred and fourteen recently detoxified alcohol-dependent patients were provided with psychosocial rehabilitation support. In addition, 540 alcohol-dependent patients treated with adjuvant acamprosate therapy were compared with 274 patients without pharmacotherapy. Real costs were assessed over a period of one year. Of the patients who were treated with acamprosate, 33.6% remained abstinent compared to only 21.1% in the standard cohort. The mean total costs per patient treated with acamprosate were EUR 1,631.49 per year. In the standard cohort, total costs were EUR 2,068.83. This difference is highly significant (p = 0.012). Direct costs amounted to 76.9% of the total costs, with a 27% difference between the cohorts (p < 0.001). There was no difference in indirect costs between the two groups (p = 0.324). This real-cost study confirms the favourable cost-effectiveness of acamprosate previously suggested by pharmaco-economic modelling studies.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Empirical Health Economics, Burscheid, Germany. info@ifeg.de
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rychlik
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Siedentop
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Pfeil
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Daniel
mesh_terms: D000077443:Acamprosate; D000328:Adult; D000427:Alcohol Deterrents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000191:economics*; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000191:economics* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy / Q000191:economics; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009313:National Health Programs / Q000191:economics*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011613:Psychotherapy; D055502:Secondary Prevention; D012944:Social Support; D013654:Taurine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000191:economics*; D013695:Temperance
chemical_list: D000427:Alcohol Deterrents; D013654:Taurine; D000077443:Acamprosate