Cost-benefit analysis of sumatriptan tablets versus usual therapy for treatment of migraine

We performed a systematic assessment of the costs and benefits of sumatriptan and usual therapy for migraine from society's perspective. A decision tree was constructed with probability estimates based on data from an open-label clinical trial assessing the economic and human impacts of sumatriptan and usual therapy on nursing personnel. Direct medical care costs including costs for drug, physician, and emergency room visits were considered. Benefits were estimated using the human capital approach based on the national average of weekly earnings and productivity loss estimated from a migraine clinical trial. The net benefits of sumatriptan and usual therapy for the treatment of a single migraine attack were estimated to be $50 and $20, respectively. The annual incremental net benefit of sumatriptan over usual therapy was estimated to be $114-540/patient. The price difference was offset by benefits of sumatriptan in reducing use of health care resources and productivity loss.