Economic Evaluation of Levosimendan Versus Dobutamine for the Treatment of Acute Heart Failure in Italy

Inodilators are the first-choice class of drugs for the treatment of acute heart failure (AHF). Levosimendan is a relatively recent inodilatory agent, presenting superior outcomes in comparison with traditional inotropes. An economic evaluation of levosimendan for the treatment of AHF in Italy was performed. In a retrospective study conducted on patients with AHF admitted to a teaching hospital in Rome, two groups were derived from an observational registry: 147 patients treated with levosimendan and 145 treated with dobutamine. Follow-up was at 1 year after treatment. In the reference study looked at in this paper, treatment with levosimendan reduced mean length of stay (LOS) by 1.5 days (P < 0.05). Reduction in the rehospitalization rate was 6.7% (P < 0.05). Mortality rate at 1 month was reduced by 4.8% (P < 0.05). Based on the reference study, a cost analysis from the hospital perspective was carried out. The incremental cost of treatment with levosimendan (a,not sign697) was equivalent to the incremental savings (a,not sign694), the latter being obtained from the reduction in LOS (a,not sign508) and rehospitalization rate (a,not sign186). Despite the limitations of this study, and even neglecting all nonmonetary health gains as additional outcomes, levosimendan appears to be a competitive alternative compared with dobutamine for the treatment of AHF in the Italian hospital setting.