ECONOMIC CONTRIBUTION OF PROPHYLACTIC IMM UNOSUPPRESSIVE THERAPY WITHMYCOPHENOLATE MOFETIL IN RENAL CADAVERIC TRANSPLANT RECIPIENTS

Objectives: The economic impact resulting from the clinical consequenc es of immunosuppressive strategy using mycophenolate mofetil in new re nal transplant recipients was conducted considering the viewpoint of t he health insurance system. Methods: The analysis was based on the res ults of three controlled randomized double-blind clinical trials compa ring mycophenolate mofetil with placebo or azathioprine in 1003 out of 1493 included patients respectively, Health care costs associated wit h each event were determined by 7 French experts in renal transplantat ion working in six different hospitals, Direct cumulative costs for ea ch strategy were compared. Results: The studies demonstrated a differe nce in the incidence of acute rejection and treatment failures whateve r the cause, The three trials showed that, compared with current strat egies, use of mycophynolate mofetil in the immunosuppression protocol generated a 19 to 38% cost reduction during the 6 months after transpl antation. Cost reduction resulted from lower incidence of acute reject ion and the subsequent nephrectomics and dialysis sessions, The sensit ivity analysis on the most important cost factors-cost of hospitalizat ion per day and number of hospitalization days-confirmed strength of t he results, Conclusion: Use of mycophenolate mofetil in the immunosupp ressive prophylaxis protocol after renal transplantation allows a redu ction in the direct costs during the 6 months following transplantatio n.