Propentofylline treatment for Alzheimer disease and vascular dementia: an economic evaluation based on functional abilities.

A Canadian economic evaluation of propentofylline (a therapy shown to be effective for patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer disease and/or vascular dementia) versus standard care was conducted. Patients were categorized by functional abilities according to the Alberta Resident Classification System by translating measures that were originally captured through the Gottfries-Brane-Steen scale. The Alberta Resident Classification System was then linked to a community dataset of home care costs for a population with dementia. Cost and cost-effectiveness analyses were performed from the perspective of the Ministry of Health, the caregiver, and society using an intent-to-treat analysis for propentofylline versus placebo. Results, limited to the 48-week clinical trial duration, indicated that propentofylline improved health outcomes of persons with dementia as statistically significant treatment effects were found. However, although an incremental cost for the propentofylline intervention was incurred from the Ministry of Health perspective, home care and, to a larger extent, caregiver costs were reduced. Savings in these areas may have partially offset annual treatment medication costs because a non-statistically significant cost difference was observed from a societal perspective.