Talk to the Veterans Crisis Line now
An official website of the United States government
Search | Search by Center | Search by Source | Keywords in Title
Hudson TJ, Sullivan G, Feng W, Owen RR, Thrush CR. Economic evaluations of novel antipsychotic medications: a literature review. Schizophrenia Research. 2003 Apr 1; 60(2-3):199-218.
Dimensions for VA is a web-based tool available to VA staff that enables detailed searches of published research and research projects. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the evidence that novel antipsychotic medications offer a cost advantage compared to traditional antipsychotic medications. METHODS: Literature for this review was identified through a computerized search of Medline, Healthstar and Psyc-INFO databases inclusive from January 1989 to January 2002. Articles included in the review were required to include cost evaluation and to be published in peer-reviewed journals. RESULTS: Twenty-two studies met inclusion criteria. All five studies that used experimental designs found that second-generation antipsychotic medications were associated with a cost advantage or were cost-neutral, and, in some cases, improved quality of life. Of the ten studies using a pre-post design, four found an increase in total costs, six reported a decrease in total costs, and four reported increased effectiveness with use of a second-generation antipsychotic. All seven of the simulation studies reported a cost advantage for novel antipsychotics for specific patient populations under certain conditions. CONCLUSIONS: The majority of studies found that novel antipsychotics are at least cost-neutral and may offer cost advantages compared to traditional agents. Some studies also reported greater improvement in effectiveness and quality of life when novel antipsychotics were compared to traditional antipsychotic medications. However, it is difficult to draw firm conclusions given the small sample sizes and limited study designs available in this literature.
