Elektronisk udgave - Sundhedsstyrelsen

❖❖❖❖❖10. Potential savings of DKK 400,000 in year 1, DKK 1.7million in year 5 and just under DKK 1 million in year 10have been deducted from these amounts.No Danish cost-effectiveness studies have been made. In anEnglish study, the treatment being offered now has beenestimated at an average cost per quality-adjusted life-year(QALY) of DKK 8.5 million. Corresponding data relating toan extension of the range of patients has not been published.The measurement of quality-adjusted life-years does notcomprise the total effectiveness of the treatment, as for examplea delayed progression is not taken into account, butirrespective of this the amount of DKK 8.5 million perQALY is very high indeed.In clinical trials a reduction in the number of relapses of onethird for the group of patients in general has been recorded.As the disease progresses differently from patient to patientand as the disease is by nature a progressive disease etc., ithas not been possible to say how many of the patients actuallyexperience a decrease in relapses. With the DanishSclerosebehandlingsregister at Rigshospitalet/CopenhagenUniversity Hospital it is possible to monitor the effect oneach individual patient, but in the nature of things withouta control group.For some patients the treatment causes some discomfort.Furthermore, a minority of the patients will not be able togive themselves the necessary injections, and these patientstherefore become dependent on other people’s help.The home-care system and/or members of the patients’families will experience an in-creased burden, as patientsmay need help for injecting the medicine and people toaccompany them during transport to and from control visitsto out-patient clinics.The number of patients receiving interferon beta treatmentwill double or triple, which will lead to a corresponding increasein the demand for specialists and, in particular, nurses,as well as secretarial assistance. The extent to which thisincreased demand for personnel will require employment ofmore staff or restructuring will depend on the current capacityand activities of each individual department and hospital.21