In a study that centered on the cost effectiveness of alternatives to Warfarin as a treatment in stroke prevention in AF patients, it was determined that Dabigatran is cheaper to take than the more commonly used Warfarin.

“This study shows that it’s acceptable from an economic point of view to use this new drug, that it’s not a tremendous burden to the health care system,” said lead author, Hooman Kamel, MD, assistant professor, neurology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York.

For this study, researchers collected information from the Randomized Evaluation of Long-Term Therapy trial, which adds to similar research that was done before.

“There have been at least 4 cost-effective analyses all of which have had roughly similar results — that this new drug is more expensive than Warfarin, but is relatively cost-effective, so you get some benefits for that increased cost,” Kamel says.

This study is published in the March issue of Stroke. One interesting note in this study is that while Dabigatran costs a great deal more than Warfarin, Warfarin requires far more medical management that is more intensive than patients taking the Dabigatran. In the long-term, the Dabigatran proved to be easier on the wallet than the Warfarin, which costs $30 to $50 month vs. Dabigatran’s $200 per month. This may sound strange, but the study results showed that the “Dabigatran was associated with 4.27 quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs), compared with 3.91 for Warfarin. The additional 0.36 QALY with Dabigatran came at a cost of $9000 and yielded an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of $25,000.”

“That’s basically equivalent to about 4 months of perfectly healthy life or 1 year of living with severe disability,” commented Kamel. In that regard, the study sounds true. Other medications are also used to treat AF patients. One of those treatments includes the heart drug Multaq. Multaq is made by Sanofi-Aventis and has been linked to serious side effects like liver failure and a worsening of the heart condition. Some deaths even occurred during one PALLAS study that forced the trial to be halted.

If you or a loved one has suffered from liver failure or a worsening heart condition after being treated with Multaq, contact the attorney’s at Greg Jones today for a free consultation. I am experienced at fighting Multaq lawsuits and may be able to help you recover money for your injuries.