Cost-effectiveness of intensive atorvastatin therapy in secondary cardiovascular prevention in the United Kingdom, Spain, and Germany, based on the Treating to New Targets study

The Treating to New Targets (TNT) clinical trial found that intensive 80 mg atorvastatin (A80) treatment reduced cardiovascular events by 22% when compared to 10 mg atorvastatin (A10) treatment. We evaluated the cost-effectiveness of intensive A80 vs A10 treatment in the United Kingdom (UK), Spain, and Germany. A lifetime Markov model was developed to predict cardiovascular disease-related events, costs, survival, and quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs). Treatment-specific event probabilities were estimated from the TNT clinical trial. Post-event survival, health-related quality of life, and country-specific medical-care costs were estimated using published sources. Intensive treatment with A80 increased both the per-patient QALYs and corresponding costs of care, when compared to the A10 treatment, in all three countries. The incremental cost per QALY gained was € 9,500, € 21,000, and € 15,000 in the UK, Spain, and Germany, respectively. Intensive A80 treatment is estimated to be cost-effective when compared to A10 treatment in secondary cardiovascular prevention.