Length of Hospital Stay and Associated Costs for Olanzapine vs. Haloperidol in the Treatment of Schizophrenia Relapse in Germany

• Published in: The European journal of health economics 2003, Vol.4 (2), p.85-89
• Main Authors: Spannheimer, A., Reitberger, U., Clouth, J., Lothgren, M.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Clinical trials; Day care; Health care expenditures; Health economics; Hospital admissions; Hospital costs; Hospitalization; Hospitals; Length of stay; Mental disorders; Mental institutions; Original Papers; Patients; Pharmacoeconomics; Psychiatric hospitals; Psychiatrists; Psychosis; Relapse; Schizophrenia; Studies; Total costs; Unit costs
• ISSN: 1618-7598; 1618-7601
• DOI: 10.1007/s10198-002-0161-2

We examined the number of days spent in hospital due to a relapse of schizophrenia and the associated costs for patients treated with olanzapine or haloperidol. Twenty-one German psychiatric hospitals participated in this retrospective study. Data on the last hospitalisation following a relapse of schizophrenia were documented for equal numbers of patients on olanzapine and haloperidol. Matching for time since diagnosis and severity of symptoms was performed. Data were collected on 136 matched pairs. Total length of time spent in hospital was the same on average for patients in both groups (median about 5 weeks), but olanzapine patients spent nearly 1 week less in the in-patient setting than haloperidol patients, resulting in a saving of €411 per patient. Our findings are consistent with those of randomised clinical trials in concluding that olanzapine is preferable to haloperidol in terms of the direct cost of treating schizophrenia.