Quality of life and drug costs associated with switching antipsychotic medication to once-daily extended release quetiapine fumarate in patients with schizophrenia

摘要

Objective: The objective of this study was to assess the quality of life and drug costs associated with switching from any ongoing antipsychotic treatment to once-daily extended release quetiapine fumarate (quetiapine XR) in patients with schizophrenia. Methods: This assessment was based on data collected during a 12-week study in patients with schizophrenia (n=477) who switched from their current antipsychotic due to insufficient efficacy or poor tolerability to a flexible dose of quetiapine XR. Patients were assigned utilities based on their Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) scores and the presence of adverse events by applying the methods of Lenert et al.1. Quality adjusted life year (QALY) gains were calculated assuming a linear change of utility between two consecutive visits. Incremental costs were calculated by comparing the hypothetical mean drug cost (assuming patients stay on previous treatment) with the actual mean cost of quetiapine XR based on European prices.