Descriptive analysis of the annual cost of treating spasticity with different types of botulinum toxin A

Botulinum toxin A is the first-line treatment for localised spasticity. However, the economic impact of this treatment is not fully known. This study aimed to describe the real costs of botulinum toxin A for the treatment of adult patients with spasticity at a spasticity clinic pertaining to a rehabilitation service, over a period of one year.

We retrospectively reviewed all medical procedures carried out during the year 2017. We collected data on the type of toxin used (incobotulinumtoxin A, onabotulinumtoxin A, or Abobotulinumtoxin A), the number of units injected, the anatomical region, and the time elapsed between infiltrations. The costs of medication and indirect costs, such as staff and consumables, were also calculated.

This is the first study to describe the real costs of botulinum toxin treatment of spasticity in adult patients in Spain. In 2017, 510 infiltration procedures were performed in 164 patients. The total cost of treating spasticity in our service was 116 789.70. The mean annual cost per patient was 603.64 for onabotulinumtoxin A, 642.69 for abobotulinumtoxin A, and 707.59 for incobotulinumtoxin A.

Our economic study of real clinical practice is consistent with the theoretical models published in the literature. The different characteristics of each toxin and the inability to establish an equivalence between the units of each drug prevents us from directly comparing these costs.