Cost effectiveness of quetiapine for treating sudden bipolar depression and preventing relapse afterward

Quetiapine 300 mg/day is associated with a cost-effectiveness ratio of £8600 per QALY gained compared to olanzapine 15 mg/day over a 5-year period.

• The analysis focused on the long-term consequences of pharmacological therapy for managing bipolar I and II disorders.
• Probabilities of remission and relapse were derived from clinical trial data and meta-analyses.
• Costs included pharmacological therapy and associated healthcare resource use from a UK payer's perspective.
• In patients starting with acute bipolar depression at 40 years of age, quetiapine resulted in £323 higher medical costs over 5 years compared to olanzapine.
• Quetiapine also provided 0.038 more QALYs than olanzapine during the same period.

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