Cost Effectiveness Of Sandimmun Neoral

A pharmacoeconomic analysis of 86 renal transplant patients has shown that Sandoz' new formulation of ciclosporin, Sandimmun Neoral, can cut medical costs after a transplant operation by up to 28%.

The analysis, undertaken by Sandoz AG, is based on data taken from a double-blind multicenter European trial, in which patients were randomized to receive either Sandimmun or Sandimmun Neoral. The direct costs of patient management were assessed over a 12-week period after transplantation, and included additional immunosuppressant drugs needed to suppress organ rejection, laboratory and diagnostic tests and hospitalization after the transplant operation.

The cost saving achieved with Neoral appeared to be largely due to the fact that the Neoral-treated patients had fewer episodes of organ rejection, and as a result needed less additional immunosuppressive therapy or rehospitalization. Commenting on the results, Jean Krayenbuhl of Sandoz said that "in everyday clinical practice, I would expect an additional cost-saving because on average patients will need a lower dose of Neoral compared to Sandimmun. Newly-transplanted renal patients require approximately 9% less Neoral than Sandimmun, and this figure is around 6% in maintained renal patients who are transferred to Neoral."