title: Modeling the budget impact of long-acting injectable paliperidone palmitate in the treatment of schizophrenia in Japan.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The cost of schizophrenia in Japan is high and new long-acting injectable (LAI) antipsychotics might be able to reduce costs by causing a reduction of hospital stays. We aim to estimate budget effects of the introduction of a new 1-month LAI, paliperidone palmitate, in Japan.
  
  
  METHODS
  A budget impact analysis was conducted from a payer perspective. The model took direct costs of illness into account (ie, costs for inpatient and outpatient services, as well as drug costs). The robustness of the model was checked using a sensitivity analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  According to our calculations, direct total costs of schizophrenia reach 710,500 million yen a year (US$6 billion). These costs decrease to 691,000 million yen (US$5.9 billion) 3 years after the introduction of paliperidone palmitate.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  From a payer point of view, the introduction of a new treatment for schizophrenia in Japan helps to save resources and is not associated with a higher financial burden.
authors.affiliation: Health Economics, Janssen Pharmaceutical KK, Tokyo, Japan ; Düsseldorf Institute for Competition Economics, University of Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany.
authors.forename: Jörg
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mahlich
authors.affiliation: Pricing, Janssen Pharmaceutical KK, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Masamichi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nishi
authors.affiliation: Health Economics, Janssen Pharmaceutical KK, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Yoshimichi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Saito
keywords: Japan; budget impact; long-acting injectables; paliperidone; schizophrenia