Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 5, 2026
10:37
Development of Recombinant Proteins to Treat Chronic Pain
Published on: April 11, 2018
[How much does an antiinflammatory treatment cost?].
D Gatti1, O Viapiana, G Colombo
1Unità di Reumatologia, Dipartimento di Medicina, Università di Verona, Italia. davide.gatti@univr.it
Reumatismo
|January 22, 2011
Summary
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are effective for pain and inflammation but cause gastrointestinal issues. When considering both cost and efficacy, coxibs offer a comparable or superior pharmacoeconomic profile to NSAIDs.
Area of Science:
- Pharmacoeconomics
- Drug Efficacy
- Gastrointestinal Safety
Context:
- Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are widely used for pain and inflammation.
- NSAID use is associated with significant gastrointestinal (GI) side effects, impacting patient health and healthcare costs.
- Pharmacoeconomic evaluations must account for both drug acquisition costs and indirect costs related to managing adverse events like gastropathy.
Purpose:
- To evaluate the pharmacoeconomic value of anti-inflammatory therapies, considering both efficacy and safety.
- To compare the cost-effectiveness of NSAIDs versus coxibs, incorporating the Number Needed to Treat (NNT) and gastroprotection costs.
- To highlight the importance of efficacy alongside safety in assessing the true cost of pain relief.
Summary:
- NSAIDs are popular but their GI risks increase overall treatment costs.
- Coxibs, despite higher initial prices, can be cost-effective due to superior GI safety, potentially equaling NSAID + proton pump inhibitor (PPI) therapy.
- Adjusting for efficacy (NNT) and GI protection costs reveals minimal economic advantage for traditional NSAIDs over coxibs, with some coxibs offering better efficacy.
Impact:
- Pharmacoeconomic analyses should integrate drug efficacy (NNT) and safety profiles for a comprehensive assessment.
- The higher safety of coxibs, particularly etoricoxib, and their dosing flexibility may offer advantages over NSAIDs.
- Considering the full cost, including gastroprotection, can significantly alter the economic perception of NSAID therapies.
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