Memantine for treatment of moderate or severe Alzheimer’s disease patients in urban China: clinical and economic outcomes from a health economic model
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Memantine for treatment of moderate or severe Alzheimer’s disease patients in urban China: clinical and economic outcomes from a health economic model
2015 Expert Rev Pharmacoecon Outcomes Res
Hu, S. | Yu, X. | Chen, S. | Clay, E. | Toumi, M. | Milea, D. |
Volume: 15,
Issue: 4,
Pages: 565-78,
Alzheimer's disease, aggression, cost-saving, disease burden, memantine, pharmacoeconomic,
OBJECTIVE: To estimate the clinical and economic benefits of memantine treatment initiated in moderate Alzheimer’s disease (AD) in China, compared with initiation in severe AD only. METHODS: A Markov model with a 5-year time horizon simulated moderate patients’ progression through health states. Two groups were compared: patients receiving memantine from the moderate stage (i.e., at model entry), continuing treatment when reaching the severe stage; patients initiating memantine only when they developed severe disease. RESULTS: After 5 years, fewer patients receiving memantine from the moderate stage were severe (49%), dependent (59%) or aggressive (47%) compared with moderate patients who initiated treatment from severe stage only (58, 67 and 55%, respectively). Total cost of care was lower for treatment from moderate stage (67 billion RMB) when compared with treatment from severe stage (73 billion RMB). CONCLUSIONS: In China, AD treatment with memantine from the moderate stage could result in substantial cost savings.