TREATMENT OF ALZHEIMER-DISEASE WITH TACRINE - A COST-ANALYSIS MODEL

In a cost-analysis model, the effect on the costs of Alzheimer disease of tacrine (tetrahydroaminoacridine) treatment was studied. A model o f the survival of the Swedish Alzheimer disease population was constru cted in which the placement of patients with Alzheimer disease in care organization was assumed to be influenced by the use of tacrine. Base d on this model, the cost analysis was performed. Fifty-two percent of the Alzheimer disease population with an initial Mini-Mental State Ex amination (MMSE) score of 10 to 24 points are in the main alternative of the model treated with 160 mg tacrine with an initial improvement i n MMSE of 2.6 points. The benefit of tacrine was a cost reduction of 1 .3% when the results were calculated for the entire Alzheimer disease population. This corresponds to a benefit of 1.3 billion Swedish krono r (SEK) (with 3% discount rate) for the entire estimated survival peri od. The annual benefit per patient was estimated as 2,900 SEK [approxi mately U.S. S320 (1993)]. In the sensitivity analysis, the range was b etween -0.6% and 5.2%. Beginning treatment in the early stages of Alzh eimer disease results in lower costs than a later start. The main conc lusion is that tacrine, according to the model, has beneficial but mod est effects on the costs of Alzheimer disease in Sweden.