OBJECTIVES: the purpose of the study was to develop an instrument for the the budget impact analysis of atypical long-acting injectable flufenazine (FLU LAI) as an alternative to typical antipsychotics (TA) chlorpromazine (CHL).

METHODS: the study was based on Ying Jiao Zhao meta-analysis of 18 antipsychotics used in the long-term treatment of schizophrenia. The comparison of FLU LAI versus CHL revealed differences of statistical significance, FLU LAI was superior to chlorpromazine (OR=0.31, 95% CI 0.11–0.88) by relapse rate. The developed model-based evaluation instrument enabled to estimate the budget impact of FLU LAI for schizophrenia patients in a single Moscow hospital with 198 inhabitants, who were treated in January – December 2015. In budget impact analysis it was assumed that drug consumption (estimated in DDD/100 bed-days) per 1 treated patient remains unchangeable, while the proportion of patients, treated with FLU LAI and CHL, will change from the initial. Exchange rate in the analyzed period was €1 = 68 RUB.

RESULTS: the total annual budget for medicines for 198 patients was estimated at €21,288. Initially 8.5% of patients (n=17) were treated with FLU LAI and 13% (n=26) with CHL. If the proportion of patients, receiving FLU LAI, increases by 1% while the proportion of patients, receiving CHL decreases by the same 1%, the total costs of medicines will decrease by 0.1% (€21.5). If the proportion of patients treated with FLU LAI increases by 5% and 10% (as an alternative CHL decreases in the same proportion) the budget economy will be 0.5% (€107.5) and 1% (€215).

CONCLUSIONS: FLU LAI is associated with a lower cost of treatment per DDD dose and is considered to be more effective versus chlorpromazine by relapse rate. Increase by 10% proportion patients, receiving FLU LAI, saves up to 1% of annual budget for medicines in a single hospital.