Summary
The aim of this study was to assess the cost-effectiveness of treatment with long-acting injectable risperidone compared with previous oral antipsychotic regimens in patients with schizophrenia. The analysis was conducted from the Health Service of Regione Lombardia perspective.
An observational, two-years long, retrospective study was conducted in 28 schizophrenic patients who were undergoing a treatment switch from oral antipsychotics to risperidone RP. The effectiveness of long-acting injectable risperidone compared with previous oral antipsychotics, defined as the absence of relapses (hospitalizations), was assessed at 12 months of treatment. The study considered direct medical costs referred to year 2007 values.
In terms of effectiveness, at 12 months after switching to long-acting injectable risperidone, there was a higher percentage of patients who did not require hospitalization (67.9%) as compared retrospectively with the same period for the previous treatments (28.6%).
Long-acting risperidone showed the best expected cost versus other oral antipsychotic treatments (€9, 191.45 vs €10, 125.57). The difference in favour of risperidone (€934.12) was mainly due to lower costs for hospitalization.
On the basis of these findings, which were obtained in real-world clinical practice, long-acting injectable risperidone is predicted to be the dominant strategy because it results in effective symptom control and direct medical cost savings.