Abstract
Purpose
To assess the cost-effectiveness of treatment strategies that utilize first-line latanoprost compared to those based on initial beta-blocker therapy in patients with open-angle glaucoma (OAG) or ocular hypertension (OH) in France.
Methods
The study was based on a decision-analytic model that was populated with data from a retrospective chart review. A hypothetical cohort of patients newly diagnosed with OAG and/or OH was assessed over a period of 2 and 3 years. For each treatment strategy 10,000 patients were assumed.
Results
First-line latanoprost therapy was significantly more effective than initial treatment with a beta-blocker, providing more days of intraocular pressure (IOP) control primarily due to its longer time until initial treatment failure. Latanoprost's higher acquisition cost was largely offset by reductions in costs associated with surgical procedures. The additional cost for latanoprost was estimated at approximately € 41 and € 27 over 2 and 3 years, respectively. The incremental cost per day of IOP control when latanoprost was used as first-line strategy compared to the first-line beta-blocker strategy was € 0.82 and € 0.36 over 2 and 3 years, respectively.
Conclusions
These results provide compelling evidence that first-line latanoprost therapy can provide superior clinical outcomes at a small additional cost in actual clinical practice.