Journal Outcomes Research

Resource utilisation and costs of treatment with doxazosin versus tamsulosin in men with benign prostatic hyperplasia

Gerry Oster PhD1, John Edelsberg MD MPH1, Alyssa Pozniak BA1 and David Thompson PhD1,2

1 Policy Analysis Inc. (PAI), Brookline, MA, USA
2 Dr Thompson is currently with Innovus Research, Inc., Medford, MA, USA

Keywords: benign prostatic hyperplasia, costs and cost analysis, alpha blockers

Summary
We used claims data (spanning August 1996 through December 1998) from a large New England health insurer to examine differences in utilisation and costs of care among men with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) who received doxazosin versus tamsulosin. All male plan members who had a diagnosis of BPH and started therapy with doxazosin (n=394) or tamsulosin (n=167) were included. Measures of interest included all BPH-related prescription drug therapy, office-based physician services, tests and procedures, and hospital inpatient and outpatient services over a 90-day period of follow-up. Subjects in the doxazosin group had fewer physician visits (-0.13; 95% CI: -0.25, -0.01), lower mean costs of BPH-related drug therapy (-$12; 95% CI: -$18, -$6) and physician services (-$11; 95% CI: $-23, $0), and nominally lower mean total costs of BPH-related treatment (-$67; 95% CI: -$219, $85) than those in the tamsulosin group.