Abstract
Objective:
To assess cost-effectiveness of zoledronic acid for the prevention of osteoporotic hip fracture. Methods: Decision analytic model to compare zoledronic acid versus risedronate, for the prevention of fracture, in 2007. The target population was a hypothetic cohort of women with osteoporosis aged 65 years in a time horizon of five years. The epidemiological data related to osteoporosis and drug's efficacy were obtained from critical appraisal of scientific literature. The costs were collected from electronic claims databases of patients enrolled in Brazilian health plans. The outcome analyzed was the cost per hip fracture avoided.
Results:
In the base case scenario, zoledronic acid reduced the incidence of fractures (0.297 fractures against 0.460 fractures), with annual costs of R$ 21,630.85 versus R$ 21,872.55 for the risedronate.
Conclusions:
The use of zoledronic acid compared to risedronate could prevent more hip fractures, with less costs in the Brazilian private health system.
Key words:
Secondary Prevention; Femoral Fractures; Osteoporosis; Women; Evaluation of the efficacy-effectiveness of interventions; Acids; Pharmacologic actions; Cost-benefit analysis; Comparative Study; Epidemiologic Studies; Health Systems