The cost-effectiveness of medications such as vardenafil for the treatment erectile dysfunction (ED) have been well accepted, although, there is no published information on the cost-effectiveness of supplying various quantities of these medications.

A study co-authored by Drs. Sherrie Aspinall, Ken Smith, Fran Cunningham and Bernie Good from the VA Center for Medication Safety, VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System and the University of Pittsburgh compared the cost-effectiveness of four, six and eight doses per month of vardenafil in a hypothetical group of male Veterans with ED.

While four doses/month of vardenafil was the most cost-effective strategy, the use of six and eight doses/month also compared very favorably with the cost-effectiveness of other medical treatments covered by third-party payers. The results support the current VA policy of providing four doses per month of vardenafil for ED while allowing greater quantities to be approved at the level of the individual medical center on a case-by-case basis.

ED affects approximately 50% of men between the ages of 40 and 70, and while the cost/dose of vardenafil is reasonable, it is important to consider the total cost to the system. For example, in fiscal year 2009, close to 1 million prescriptions were filled for vardenafil in the VA health care system.

This will be discussed in a future issue of Value in Health, the official journal of the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and outcomes Research.

Value in Health publishes papers, concepts, and ideas that advance the field of pharmacoeconomics and outcomes research and help health care leaders to make decisions that are solidly evidence-based. The journal is published bi-monthly and has a regular readership of over 5,000 clinicians, decision-makers, and researchers worldwide.

Source:
ISPOR