An Examining Progress in Research: Cost-effectiveness of Cardiovascular Disease Prevention Using the Markov Model

Abstract

This article reviews three-volume collection of previously published articles on cost-effectiveness in cardiovascular disease prevention. Firstly, cost–effectiveness analysis of genetic screening for the Taq1B polymorphism in the secondary prevention of coronary heart disease is conducted. Secondly, a “polypill” aimed at preventing cardiovascular disease could prove highly cost-effective for use in Latin America, and lastly, the cost-effectiveness of intensive atorvastatin therapy in secondary cardiovascular prevention in the United Kingdom, Spain, and Germany is assessed, based on the Treating to New Targets study. All three articles in this paper demonstrate how the Markov model can control strategy in terms of cost savings and increase the mean of quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs). Moreover, the Markov model can be used to demonstrate how healthcare systems can control the cost-effectiveness of drug use in terms of cardiovascular disease related to health benefits, costs, and quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs). In conclusion, employing the Markov model through other interventions, especially in the case of health benefits, cost savings, and quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) is the main recommendation of this article.