A Projection of the Impact of Lipid-Lowering Therapy on High-Risk Employee Disability and Medical Costs

Abstract

The objective of this study was to examine the impact of introducing rosuvastatin calcium on direct and indirect costs among patients at high risk for coronary heart disease. An economic simulation model was developed to project the number of cardiovascular events and associated direct and indirect costs under varying treatment scenarios. In an average-sized commercial health plan with 210,000 covered lives and 9,336 high-risk patients, an uptake of rosuvastatin by 11% of high-risk patients would result in eight fewer cardiovascular events, a net savings of 0.85 million dollars in direct medical costs and a net savings of 36,404 dollars in productivity loss over a period of 5 years. The overall reduction in total costs is equivalent to 1735 dollars per rosuvastatin-treated patient. At current statin prices, the use of rosuvastatin could lead to fewer cardiovascular events and lower direct and indirect costs.