Economic aspects on drug therapy of dementia

Abstract

The great number of people suffering from dementia present a great challenge for the health care and social support systems. In a situation where resources are scarce, health economical aspects of dementia care are of great importance in order to identify cost-effective care. However, the literature in this field is limited. There are also aspects where there methodological development is necessary (e.g. informal care, quality of life, long term effects). In the absence of prospective long term data, it is necessary to use pharmacoeconomical models. It is also important to have population based data for the description of how resources and costs are allocated between the different care sectors. Current data show that there is a strong relationship between cognitive functioning and costs. The number of pharmacoeconomical evaluations of drugs influencing on the symptomatology of dementia is low. Available data show that there is support for a view that treatment is cost-neutral or perhaps cost saving which in combination with positive effects in terms of efficacy may indicate cost-effectiveness.