Resource use and costs of treatment with anticoagulation and antiplatelet agents: results of the WATCH trial economic evaluation.
BACKGROUND
The Warfarin and Antiplatelet Therapy in Chronic Heart Failure (WATCH) trial revealed no significant differences among 1587 symptomatic heart failure patients randomized to warfarin, clopidogrel, or aspirin in time to all-cause death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, or nonfatal stroke. We compared within-trial medical resource use and costs between treatments.


RESULTS
We assigned country-specific costs to medical resources incurred during follow-up. Annualized rates of hospitalizations, inpatient and outpatient procedures, and emergency department visits did not differ significantly between groups. Annualized total costs averaged $5901 (95% confidence interval [CI], $4776-$7520) for the aspirin group, $5646 (95% CI, $4903-$6584) for the clopidogrel group, and $5830 (95% CI, $4838-$7400) for the warfarin group.


CONCLUSIONS
Consistent with clinical findings, our analyses did not identify significant cost differences between treatments.
Patterson
Mark E
ME
Center for Clinical and Genetic Economics, Duke Clinical Research Institute, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina 27715, USA.
Grant
William C
WC
Glickman
Seth W
SW
Massie
Barry M
BM
Ammon
Susan E
SE
Armstrong
Paul W
PW
Cleland
John G F
JG
Collins
Joseph F
JF
Teo
Koon K
KK
Schulman
Kevin A
KA
Reed
Shelby D
SD
D000368:Aged; D000925:Anticoagulants / Q000191:economics* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005260:Female; D017048:Health Care Costs / Q000639:trends; D006295:Health Resources / Q000191:economics* / Q000639:trends; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000191:economics*; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000191:economics / Q000639:trends; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010975:Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors / Q000191:economics* / Q000627:therapeutic use
D000925:Anticoagulants; D010975:Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors