Cost-Effectiveness Measures, Methods, and Policy Implications from the Clinical Antipsychotic Trials of Intervention Effectiveness (CATIE) for Schizophrenia

Robert A. Rosenheck, MD, and Chair, Jeffrey A. Lieberman, MD

Sales of atypical antipsychotics have expanded rapidly as their use for treatment of schizophrenia and other illnesses has increased. The CATIE trial was designed to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of these medications. Cost-effectiveness analysis in CATIE examined the benefits and costs of treatments and attempted to determine whether one treatment would result in better outcomes and lower costs than another one. While the data from CATIE on cost-effectiveness have not been analyzed yet, it is still possible to consider the potential implications of the analysis, including how the roles of researchers and stakeholders should be considered in deciding optimal clinical practices and public policies.

From the Department of Psychiatry, Schizophrenia Research Program, State University of New York Downstate Medical Center and Kings County Hospital Center, Brooklyn (Dr. Weiden); the Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Health Service Center, San Antonio (Dr. Miller); the Department of Psychiatry, University of Melbourne, and the Office for Psychiatric Evaluation and Educational Newmedia, Royal Melbourne Hospital, Parkville, Australia (Dr. Lambert); and the Department of Psychiatry, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta (Dr. Buckley).