OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of amlodipine treatment on cardiovascular disease (CVD) related hospital admissions and the corresponding costs in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) in Spain. METHODS: This analysis used data from Prospective Randomized Evaluation of the Vascular Effects of Norvasc Trial (PREVENT), a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, multi-center clinical trial. A decision-tree model was used to analyze the expected incremental cost of amlodipine treatment relative to placebo. A sensitivity analysis was conducted to examine the robustness of the study outcome. The hospital costs were estimated using the DRG’s from the Medicare adjusted to the median of a local hospital stay cost (Catalonian area). RESULTS: Amlodipine significantly reduced the number of CVD-related hospital admissions and procedures in patients with CAD relative to the placebo. The expected CVD-related hospital cost per patient in the placebo group exceeded costs for patients in the amlodipine group. The expected savings of CVD-related hospitalizations ranged from 0 to 331 Euros per patient over the trial period in 1997 Spanish pesetas when the cost to charge ratio was changed from 0.66 to 1.2. The total expected costs for the amlodipine group were 1,723.5 Euros (533 for No CVD hospitalization and 1190 to CVD hospitalization) while the total expected costs for the placebo group were 1929 Euros (119 for No CVD hospitalization and 1810 to CVD hospitalization). At the breakeven point (the cost to charge ratio = 0.66), the amlodipine treatment still offset the drug cost of amlodipine. CONCLUSIONS: Use of amlodipine can reduce CVD-related hospital admissions and the associated costs in patients with coronary artery disease. Amlodipine is a cost-saving agent in the treatment of patients with coronary artery disease.