2010 Volume 47 Issue 1 Pages 9-16
We used a Markov model to assess the cost-effectiveness of the smoking cessation therapies currently performed in Japan. We estimated lifetime health care costs by including diseases unassociated with smoking as well as diseases associated with smoking, and the cost per life year saved (LYS) was calculated with discounting at an annual rate of 3%. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio for a 40-year-old male in comparison with no therapy was 5.335 million yen/LYS in an over-the-counter patch group, 5.678 million yen/LYS in an over-the-counter gum group, 5.358 million yen/LYS in a prescribed patch group, and 5.428 million yen/LYS in a prescribed oral medication group. For a 40-year-old female, the reduction was 560 thousand yen/LYS in an over-the-counter patch group, 336 thousand yen/LYS in an over-the-counter gum group, 539 thousand yen/LYS in a prescribed patch group, 491 thousand yen/LYS in a prescribed oral medication group. The differences in cost and effectiveness among them were small, and the cost-effectiveness of all of the smoking cessation therapies was considered to be favorable. Because the data in Japan related to smoking cessation success rates, health care costs, etc., were scarce, it would be desirable to wait until data are accumulated and further validate cost-effectiveness in the future.
