Intervention thresholds for osteoporosis in the UK

Area of Science:

• Health Economics
• Osteoporosis Management
• Public Health Policy

Background:

• Osteoporosis poses a significant fracture risk, impacting healthcare costs and quality of life.
• Determining cost-effectiveness thresholds for interventions is crucial for resource allocation in healthcare.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish the fracture probability threshold for cost-effective osteoporosis interventions in UK women.
• To model the economic impact of interventions considering various parameters like cost, duration, and waning efficacy.

Main Methods:

• Economic modeling using UK data to assess intervention cost-effectiveness.
• Sensitivity analyses were performed on treatment duration, costs, and offset times.
• A cost-effectiveness threshold of £30,000/QALY gained was applied.

Main Results:

• Interventions were cost-effective for women with a 10-year hip fracture probability between 1.1% (age 50) and 9.0% (age 85).
• Including all osteoporotic fractures, not just hip fractures, substantially altered cost-effectiveness ratios.
• Cost-effective scenarios were identified for women aged 60+ at the osteoporosis threshold, and treatment for established osteoporosis was always cost-effective.

Conclusions:

• The inclusion of all osteoporotic fractures significantly influences intervention cost-effectiveness thresholds.
• Cost-effectiveness thresholds for osteoporosis interventions vary with age.
• Targeted interventions can be cost-effectively applied to UK individuals with moderately increased fracture risk.