Cost effectiveness of bisoprolol in the treatment of chronic congestive heart failure in Sweden - Analysis using data from the cardiac insufficiency bisoprolol study II trial

Objective: To investigate the cost effectiveness of adding the P-blocker bi soprolol to standard treatment in patients with congestive heart failure (C HF). Design and setting: A cost-effectiveness study was based on the Cardiac Ins ufficiency Bisoprolol Study II (CIBIS-II), a randomised clinical trial inve stigating the efficacy of adding bisoprolol to standard therapy of CHF. The cost-effectiveness analysis was carried out from a societal perspective, Methods: Health effects were measured in terms of years of life gained. On the cost side, treatment costs for pharmaceuticals and hospitalisations wer e included. Data on healthcare resource consumption from CIBIS-II were used and were combined with average Swedish retail prices for medicines, and av erage costs for hospitalisations based on hospital admissions, in the base case. The costs of added years of life, i.e. consumption net of production during life-years gained were also included. Results: If costs of added years of life were not included, then bisoprolol therapy increased life expectancy at an incremental cost of Swedish kronor (SEK) 13 094 (1999 values) per year of life gained. If costs of added year s of life were included, then the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of b isoprolol therapy was SEK168 858 per year of life gained. Conclusions: For patients with CHF with the characteristics of those in CIB IS-II, the cost effectiveness of bisoprolol therapy compares favourably wit h that of other cardiovascular therapies.