Cost-Effectiveness Analysis: Controlled-Release Nifedipine and Valsartan Combination Therapy in Patients with Essential Hypertension: The Adalat CR and Valsartan Cost-Effectiveness Combination (ADVANCE-Combi) Study

• Published in: Hypertension research Vol. 31; no. 7; pp. 1399 - 1405
• Main Authors: Saito, Ikuo, Fujikawa, Keita, Saruta, Takao
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England 01-07-2008
• Subjects: Amlodipine - administration & dosage; Amlodipine - economics; Cost-Benefit Analysis; Delayed-Action Preparations; Double-Blind Method; Drug Therapy, Combination; Humans; Hypertension - drug therapy; Hypertension - economics; Japan; Nifedipine - administration & dosage; Nifedipine - economics; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Tetrazoles - administration & dosage; Tetrazoles - economics; Valine - administration & dosage; Valine - analogs & derivatives; Valsartan; Japan
• ISSN: 0916-9636; 1348-4214
• DOI: 10.1291/hypres.31.1399

As recommended by the guidelines such as JSH 2004, combination therapy with multiple agents is now being applied to many patients with hypertension. However, a pharmacoeconomic analysis of each therapy has not been fully undertaken in Japan, despite increasing societal interest. In this study, the cost-effectiveness of two calcium channel blockers, each coadministered with an angiotensin receptor blockade, was compared using data from the ADVANCE-Combi study. The ADVANCE-Combi study was a 16-week double-blind, randomized clinical trial to compare the efficacy and safety of two combination therapies (controlled-release nifedipine [nifedipine CR] plus valsartan vs. amlodipine plus valsartan) on blood pressure (BP) control in patients with moderate to severe essential hypertension. The incremental cost effectiveness of each cohort was compared from the perspective of insurers. The average total cost per patient was Japanese yen (JPY) 31,615 for the nifedipine CR treatment group and JPY 35,399 for the amlodipine treatment group (p < 0.001). The achievement rate of the target BP (SBP/DBP < 130/85 mmHg for patients aged under 60 years; SBP/DBP < 140/90 mmHg for those aged 60 years and over) was significantly higher in the nifedipine CR treatment group (61.2%) than in the amlodipine treatment group (34.6%) (p < 0.001), with no difference in the incidence of drug-related adverse events. Accordingly, the base case economic analysis demonstrated that the nifedipine CR treatment group was dominant (more efficacious and less costly) to the amlodipine treatment group. This result was supported by univariate and probabilistic sensitivity analyses. These results indicate that nifedipine CR-based combination therapy is superior to amlodipine-based combination therapy for the management of essential hypertension in the Japanese population.