title: Health resource use and costs of vilazodone and other selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors in treating major depressive disorder.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are widely prescribed antidepressants. This claims database study compared healthcare resource use and costs among patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) treated with vilazodone vs other SSRIs.
  
  
  METHODS
  Adults with an MDD diagnosis and ≥ 1 prescription fill for vilazodone, citalopram, escitalopram, fluoxetine, paroxetine, or sertraline were identified from administrative claims data (2010-2012). Patients who concomitantly used adjunctive medication, either a second-generation antidepressant or antipsychotic, were excluded. All-cause and MDD-related healthcare resource use and costs (in 2012 USD) were compared between patients treated with vilazodone vs other SSRIs over a 6-month follow-up period using unadjusted and multivariable analyses.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The study cohort included 49 861 patients (mean age = 44.0 years; 70% female). Compared with the vilazodone cohort (n = 3527), patients in the citalopram (n = 12 187), escitalopram (n = 8275), fluoxetine (n = 10 142), paroxetine (n = 3146), and sertraline (n = 12 584) cohorts had significantly more all-cause inpatient hospital visits, longer hospital stays and more frequent emergency department visits, following the index date, after adjusting for baseline characteristics. All-cause medical service costs (inpatient + outpatient + emergency department visits) were significantly higher across all other SSRI cohorts vs vilazodone by $758-$1165 (p < 0.05). Similarly, all-cause total costs, were significantly or numerically (non-significantly) higher across all SSRI cohorts vs vilazodone by $351-$780.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The was no clinical measurement of disease severity, partial coverage of the Medicare-eligible population, and short follow-up.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  MDD treatment with vilazodone was associated with significantly lower rates of inpatient and emergency services, and with significantly lower all-cause medical service costs and numerically (non-significantly) lower total costs to payers than with the other SSRIs included in this study.
authors.affiliation: a a Analysis Group, Inc. , Boston , MA , USA.
authors.forename: Zheng-Yi
authors.initials: ZY
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: b b Forest Research Institute, Inc., an affiliate of Actavis, Inc. , Jersey City , NJ , USA.
authors.forename: Shawn
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: c c Analysis Group, Inc. , Boston , MA , USA.
authors.forename: Pooja
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Chopra
authors.affiliation: c c Analysis Group, Inc. , Boston , MA , USA.
authors.forename: Yichen
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhong
authors.affiliation: c c Analysis Group, Inc. , Boston , MA , USA.
authors.forename: Todor
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Totev
authors.affiliation: c c Analysis Group, Inc. , Boston , MA , USA.
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Signorovitch
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000553:Ambulatory Care / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D018687:Antidepressive Agents, Second-Generation / Q000191:economics* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000191:economics*; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006296:Health Services / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors / Q000191:economics* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000069503:Vilazodone Hydrochloride / Q000191:economics* / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D018687:Antidepressive Agents, Second-Generation; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors; D000069503:Vilazodone Hydrochloride
keywords: Costs and cost analysis; Healthcare resource utilization; Major depressive disorder; Selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors; Vilazodone