A pharmacoeconomic review of cholinesterase inhibitor drugs for Alzheimer's disease /

The main areas for concern include: The long term efficacy of treatment especially with respect to delays in institutionalization, effect on duration of institutionalization, impact on survival and quality of life The impact of treatment on caregivers with respect to health, quality of life and time spent in caring for the patient The current course of AD within the Canadian population and i [...] The results of this publication lead to the recommendation to only fund cholinesterase inhibitors for the treatment of patients with moderate AD as the estimates of cost effectiveness exceeded the generally accepted threshold value of £30,000 per QALY within the UK. [...] Below is a summary of the review of the cost effectiveness papers that were included within the two HTAs by NICE and a description of the two models used to assess the cost effectiveness of cholinesterase inhibitors in the two HTAs. [...] Four of the studies appeared to be from the perspective of the healthcare payer and the Dutch study was from a perspective broader than the healthcare payer. [...] Factors which may limit the utility of this study in aiding in decision making include: The age of the study, given that it was completed over 12 years ago The lack of inclusion of the price of rivastigmine, as it was not marketed at the time of the study The inclusion of unpaid caregiver time, as these costs are generally not borne by the Canadian healthcare system The limited duration of