- Prophylaxis with Lovenox(R) (enoxaparin sodium injection) offered a cost reduction per discharge -
BRIDGEWATER, N.J., Aug. 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Sanofi-aventis U.S. (EURONEXT: SAN and NYSE: SNY) announced today results of a retrospective real-world cohort study comparing the total direct medical costs of Lovenox(R) (enoxaparin sodium injection) or unfractionated heparin (UFH) for the prevention of venous thromboembolism (VTE) among at-risk hospitalized medical and surgical patients in the U.S. The study demonstrated VTE prophylaxis with enoxaparin was a cost-saving therapy with a statistically significant average reduction of $1,080 per discharge compared to prophylaxis with UFH. These findings were recently published online in the Journal of Thrombosis and Thrombolysis.
"The data are encouraging because they provided insights into the costs of VTE in a large population and assessed overall direct medical costs in the hospital from drug acquisition costs through to, and including hospitalization costs," said Geno Merli, M.D., Director at the Jefferson Center for Vascular Disease, Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia, PA, and lead investigator of the study. "Evidence from this study found that prevention of VTE among inpatients, using enoxaparin for prophylaxis, was an effective preventative strategy. These data may be utilized to help guide healthcare professionals toward potentially reducing high healthcare costs in the U.S. associated with this often preventable condition."
VTE encompasses both deep-vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE) which poses a significant clinical and economic burden. Each year, the management costs for dealing with VTE are estimated to be approximately $1.5 billion.(1) These costs occur despite VTE being a largely preventable disease. Failure to prevent an initial VTE episode may result in both healthcare costs for the acute event and additional costs for the longer-term consequences.(2)
About the Study
This large scale U.S. real-world health outcomes study compared the total direct medical costs associated with VTE prophylaxis with enoxaparin and UFH in the inpatient setting. Enoxaparin, a low molecular weight heparin, and UFH are the two most frequently studied pharmacological VTE prophylaxis options. Hospital discharge and billing records were extracted from the Premier Inc. healthcare alliance Perspective(TM) database (January 2002-December 2006). The primary outcome was the total direct medical costs for discharges that were at risk of VTE and received enoxaparin or UFH. A total of 894,364 discharge records met the study inclusion criteria, of which 39.4% received enoxaparin and 60.6% received UFH.
