title: Cost-effectiveness of cryotherapy versus salicylic acid for the treatment of plantar warts: economic evaluation alongside a randomised controlled trial (EVerT trial).
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Plantar warts (verrucae) are extremely common. Although many will spontaneously disappear without treatment, treatment may be sought for a variety of reasons such as discomfort. There are a number of different treatments for cutaneous warts, with salicylic acid and cryotherapy using liquid nitrogen being two of the most common forms of treatment. To date, no full economic evaluation of either salicylic acid or cryotherapy has been conducted based on the use of primary data in a pragmatic setting. This paper describes the cost-effectiveness analysis which was conducted alongside a pragmatic multicentre, randomised trial evaluating the clinical effectiveness of cryotherapy versus 50% salicylic acid of the treatment of plantar warts.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cost-effectiveness analysis was undertaken alongside a pragmatic multicentre, randomised controlled trial assessing the clinical effectiveness of 50% salicylic acid and cryotherapy using liquid nitrogen at 12 weeks after randomisation of patients. Cost-effectiveness outcomes were expressed as the additional cost required to completely cure the plantar warts of one additional patient. A NHS perspective was taken for the analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Cryotherapy costs on average £101.17 (bias corrected and accelerated (BCA) 95% CI: 85.09-117.26) more per participant over the 12 week time-frame, while there is no additional benefit, in terms of proportion of patients healed compared with salicylic acid.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Cryotherapy is more costly and no more effective than salicylic acid.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN18994246 [controlled-trials.com] and National Research Register N0484189151.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Sciences, York Trials Unit, University of York, ARRC Building, York YO10 5DD, UK. sarah.cockayne@york.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Eugena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Stamuli
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cockayne
authors.forename: Catherine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hewitt
authors.forename: Kate
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hicks
authors.forename: Shalmini
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jayakody
authors.forename: Arthur Ricky
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Kang'ombe
authors.forename: Gwen
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Turner
authors.forename: Kim
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Thomas
authors.forename: Mike
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Curran
authors.forename: Farina
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Hashmi
authors.forename: Caroline
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: McIntosh
authors.forename: Nichola
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: McLarnon
authors.forename: David J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Torgerson
authors.forename: Ian
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Watt