title: Cost-effectiveness analysis of bisoprolol treatment for heart failure.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Beta-blockers have provided evidence of improving survival in chronic heart failure patients. Specifically, the Cardiac Insufficiency Bisoprolol Study II has shown a significant reduction in mortality and morbidity among patients with moderate to severe chronic heart failure treated with bisoprolol. Our aim was to investigate the economic consequence of bisoprolol therapy in chronic heart failure patients in Italy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data were derived from the Cardiac Insufficiency Bisoprolol Study II trial. We conducted a cost-effectiveness analysis, comparing standard care with bisoprolol vs standard care with placebo in the perspective of the Italian National Health Service. We identified and quantified medical costs: drug costs according to the Italian National Therapeutic Formulary; specialist visits for initiation and up-titration of bisoprolol therapy and hospitalizations were quantified based on the Italian National Health Service tariffs (2005). Effects were measured in terms of mortality and morbidity reduction (number of deaths, life-years gained and frequency of hospitalizations). We considered an observational period of 1.3 years, i.e. the average follow-up recorded in the trial. Discounting was not performed because of the relatively short follow-up of patients. We conducted one- and multiway sensitivity analyses on unit cost and effectiveness. We also conducted a threshold analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The overall cost of care per 1000 patients treated for 1.3 years was estimated in Euro 2,075,548 in the bisoprolol group and in Euro 2,396,265 in the placebo group, resulting in a net saving of Euro 320,718. The number of additional patients alive with bisoprolol was 55 per 1000 patients, the number of lifeyears gained was 36 at 1.3 year.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Bisoprolol therapy is dominant since it is both less costly and more effective than standard care. Results of sensitivity analysis showed that bisoprolol therapy remains dominant even to changes in unit cost of drug and hospitalizations.
authors.affiliation: Center of Pharmacoeconomics, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Milan, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Di Stasi
authors.forename: Luciana
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Scalone
authors.forename: Simona
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: De Portu
authors.forename: Enrica
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Menditto
authors.forename: Lorenzo Giovanni
authors.initials: LG
authors.lastname: Mantovani
mesh_terms: D000319:Adrenergic beta-Antagonists / Q000191:economics* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D017298:Bisoprolol / Q000191:economics* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000191:economics*; D006801:Humans
chemical_list: D000319:Adrenergic beta-Antagonists; D017298:Bisoprolol