Objective: The purpose of this study was to estimate the cost-effectiveness of memantine relative to standard care in patients with moderate-to-severe Alzheimer's disease in the Netherlands. Methods: A country-adapted five-year Markov model simulated disease progression through a series of states, defined by dependency and disease severity. Transition probabilities were derived from trials, with utility and epidemiological data obtained from a longitudinal Dutch cohort. Cost-effectiveness was described in terms of quality-adjusted life years and time spent in a nondependent state or in a moderate severity state. Results: Memantine monotherapy versus standard care led to 0.058 quality-adjusted life years gained (1.207 versus 1.265), longer time in a nondependent state (from 1.602 to 1.751 years) and in a moderate state (from 2.051 to 2.141 years), and no additional costs (€ 113,927 versus € 110,097). Robustness of results was confirmed through sensitivity analyses. Conclusion: Memantine is dominant compared with standard care in the Netherlands. Results are consistent with similar economic evaluations in other countries.

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doi.org/10.2147/NDT.S19239, hdl.handle.net/1765/30578
Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment (Print)
Erasmus MC: University Medical Center Rotterdam

Hoogveldt, B., Rive, B., Severens, H., Maman, K., & Guilhaume, C. (2011). Cost-effectiveness analysis of memantine for moderate-to-severe Alzheimer's disease in The Netherlands. Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment (Print), 7(1), 313–317. doi:10.2147/NDT.S19239