A projection of the impact of lipid-lowering therapy on high-risk employee disability and medical costs

Objective: The objective of this study was to examine the impact of introducing rosuvastatin calcium on direct and indirect costs among patients at high risk for coronary heart disease. Methods: An economic simulation model was developed to project the number of cardiovascular events and associated direct and indirect costs under varying treatment scenarios. Results: In an average-sized commercial health plan with 210,000 covered lives and 9,336 high-risk patients, an uptake of rosuvastatin by 11% of high-risk patients would result in eight fewer cardiovascular events, a net savings of $0.85 million in direct medical costs and a net savings of $36,404 in productivity loss over a period of 5 years. The overall reduction in total costs is equivalent to $1735 per rosuvastatin-treated patient. Conclusions: At current statin prices, the use of rosuvastatin could lead to fewer cardiovascular events and lower direct and indirect costs.