OBJECTIVES: To assess the economic viability of the new atypical antipsychotic and to establish what price is required for an economically viable drug. In this study early economic modeling was used to estimate the price per course for difluoroclozapine, a new atypical neuroleptic drug in the treatment of resistant schizophrenia.

METHODS: An early Markov model was developed, based on the data derived from preclinical and clinical trials, to estimate costs and effectiveness of the antipsychotic therapy. Comparison of new neuroleptic drug with standard therapy with clozapine was performed with the use of cost-utility analysis. Costs of clozapine therapy and management of agranulocytosis were estimated as costs of medical care according to the standards of therapy. Utility for both drugs was measured in terms of quality-adjusted life years (QALYs). The headroom method was used to calculate the acceptable price for 1 course treatment with difluoroclozapine. It was estimated using utility difference between 10-years therapies and cost of 1 QALY for clozapine.

RESULTS: Analysis showed that the discounted QALY difference between difluoroclozapine and clozapine was 0.02 (∆QALY). Estimated cost per 1 QALY for clozapine was 4 735.78$. Based on COST/1QALY the difluoroclozapine price in comparison with clozapine can’t be more than 1.14%.

CONCLUSIONS: According to assumption about same efficacy of difluoroclozapine and clozapine and only safety advantages of difluoroclozapine (the ability to reduce agranulocytosis rate) the cost of difluoroclozapine course shouldn’t be more than the cost of clozapine course (over 1.14%).