J. Gruger et Me. Backhouse, ECONOMIC-EVALUATION OF ANTIVIRAL THERAPY FOR THE TREATMENT OF HERPES-ZOSTER IN IMMUNOCOMPETENT ADULTS, PharmacoEconomics, 11(3), 1997, pp. 262-273
Shingles (herpes tester) affects 20% of the population at some stage d
uring their lives. The economic consequences can be significant. For e
xample, in the UK, the costs of post-herpetic neuralgia, a complicatio
n that affects between 10 and 14% of patients with shingles, have been
estimated between 4.8 million and 17.9 million pounds sterling (pound
). This study is the first formal assessment of the cost-effectiveness
of the 2 most commonly used oral antiviral treatments that have prove
n efficacy in patients with shingles: famciclovir and aciclovir (acycl
ovir). It shows that the clinical advantages of famciclovir over acicl
ovir are accompanied by potential economic advantages in the form of s
avings in direct costs to the UK National Health Service of between po
und 2.04 and pound 16.85 per patient treated. Future economic research
to validate the benefits of antiviral treatment should focus on prosp
ective assessments alongside controlled trials incorporating resource
use analysis. quality-of-life appraisal, assessments of pain severity,
and long term follow-up with continuation protocols.