Economic evaluation of drugs used in treating patients with myocardial infarction: a systematic review

Abstract

AbstractIntroductionMyocardial infarctions (MI) as one of the outcomes of cardiovascular diseases alone are responsible for 20% of deaths, so that every 30 seconds, one person suffered from MI. Various drugs are used to treat myocardial infarction and we need to have precise information of the cost-effectiveness of these drugs. The aim of this study was to examine economic evaluation of drugs used for treatment of patients with MI. Methods In the present review study, published articles related to economic evaluation of drugs used for treatment of patients with MI within the time interval between 2000 and 2017 were searched using electronic databases. Methodological quality of structure of articles was examined by Drummond’s standard checklist.ResultsThe results of the present study indicated that, a streptokinase and t-PA drug for treatment of patients with myocardial infarction was cost-effective. The results showed that most of the studies clearly stated the time horizon of the study and included direct medical costs in their analysis. In addition, majority of the studies used the Markov model. The quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) were the main outcome used for measuring the effectiveness.ConclusionThe results of the present study showed that, a thrombolytic agent for treatment of patients with myocardial infarction was cost-effective. The results were relatively varied due to the differences in time horizon and variables used in the models such as efficacy, and drug prices. Furthermore these studies were designed and conducted in high-income countries; thus, the application of these results in low- and middle-income countries will be limited.