Economic evaluation of the PAX-BD study
Date: 2018–2023
Funding: UK NIHR HTA
Collaborator(s): University of Newcastle upon Tyne
Web: https://paxbd.org/
Information: Judit Simon (co-PI), Michael Berger
Over a lifetime, 2.5% of people will suffer from bipolar disorder (BD) which has significant impact on patients’ quality of life and is associated with a 10 year reduction in life expectancy. NICE recommends ‘mood stabiliser’ treatments, however, treatment resistance and side effects, such as sedation and weight gain, are common problems for patients. Pramipexole is currently used as a treatment for Parkinson’s disease, and there is some evidence suggesting that it can help in the treatment of BD. Its safety and side effects are well known, in particular, it is less likely to cause weight gain than current NICE recommended treatments. The DHE leads the economic evaluation of the NIHR PAX-BD study (RCT of Pramipexole addition to mood stabilisers for treatment resistant bipolar depression) to determine whether pramipexole, added on to mood stabilisers, is a cost-effective treatment for patients with BD whose depression has not responded to NICE recommended treatment.
Result(s):
- Azim L, Hindmarch P, Browne G, Chadwick T, Clare E, Courtney P, et al. Study protocol for a randomised placebo-controlled trial of pramipexole in addition to mood stabilisers for patients with treatment resistant bipolar depression (the PAX-BD study). BMC Psychiatry. 2021 Dec;21:334. DOI: 10.1186/s12888-021-03322-y