The cost-effectiveness results of the base-case analyses for the five age-variant scenarios are shown in Table 2.
The base-case analyses for Austria and Portugal showed that both costs and QALYs were higher with LMP compared with pregabalin but with a highly acceptable ICER 55 (€9,899 and €4,663 per QALY gained relative to pregabalin for 1.71 and 1.03 plasters per day in Austria and €1,112 per QALY gained relative to pregabalin for 1.71 plasters per day and dominance with 1.03 plasters per day in Portugal).
For base case analyses, utility values will be defined using the EQ-5D where possible, in line with NICE's preferred method.
In the base case analyses, the cost-effectiveness ratios for pneumococcal vaccination in preventing cases of BPD alone vary between €11,0000 and €33,0000 per QALY among the five countries.
In accordance with the World Health Organization's guide to cost-effectiveness analyses, costs and QALYs were discounted at 3% annually for the base case analyses, but further sensitivity analyses were also conducted using a 6% annual discount rate for costs and a 0% annual discount rate for QALYs [ 30, 31].
Sensitivity analyses were conducted for the base case analyses.
For our base case analyses, a hypothetical alcohol intervention was assumed to decrease unhealthy alcohol consumption by 45%.
For the base case analyses, costs, and health benefits were discounted at a 3.5% rate per annum.
For the base case analyses the data from the two treatment groups (tiotropium and control) were combined.
The full cost-effectiveness acceptability curves for the base case analyses have been included as Supplementary Information.
For the base case analyses, the cost of a false negative (pre-diabetes or diabetes that was undetected) was evaluated as 10% of the projected marginal 3-year medical costs for that condition, assuming that marginal costs could be decreased by appropriate management, as they were in the Diabetes Prevention Program DPPP) (16, 17).
