A pharmacoeconomic assessment of recombinant tissue plasminogen activator therapy for acute ischemic stroke in a tertiary hospital in China.

AbstractObjectives:To conduct a pharmacoeconomic assessment of thrombolysis by intravenous recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA) therapy for acute ischemic stroke (AIS) in 6 hours in a tertiary hospital in China.Materials and methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted using medical records data among patients hospitalized for AIS and receiving treatment with or without rt-PA (6 hours after AIS) from January 2006 to December 2008. The conservative therapy group was matched (1∶1) on age, gender, risk factors, Glasgow Coma Scale, and National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS). Two groups were compared on fourteenth-day clinical outcomes. Utilities were estimated from modified Rankin Scale (mRS) scores and costs. All cost data reflected 2006–2008 values.Results:A total of 152 patients were enrolled in the study (76 patients in each group). No differences were found in mortality rate between these two groups at day 14. Among survivors on day 14, NIHSS and mRS were lower in rt-PA than con...