Objective: To compare the direct costs of medication between two therapeutic strategies: NNA versus NNA after IFN in non-cirrhotic patients without contraindications for IFN.
As summarized in Table 2, there were no statistically significant differences in anthropometric and demographic characteristics, risk factors and/or medications between the two groups at baseline, demonstrating successful randomization.
Such differences may reflect the difference in the level of knowledge of medications between the two groups.
There were also differences in use of prescribed anti-inflammatory and analgesic medications between the two groups.
However, there were no significant differences in the serum lipid profile, GFR and use of cardiovascular medications between the two groups (Table 2, P>0.05).
This finding complements previous research that has found significantly higher prescription medication expenditures for individuals diagnosed with DD compared to a DM cohort [ 34], by illustrating some significant differences in the use of specific medications between the two groups.
Similarly, there were no differences among users of medications between the two cohorts with regard to average length of therapy for non-stimulants, antidepressants, antipsychotics, or anxiolytics (see Table 4).
There were also differences in the dosing of medications between the two trials; in the CLASS trial a higher dose of celecoxib 400 mg b.d. was used compared with celecoxib 200 mg b.d. in the CONDOR trial.
When the precise date of medication change between two clinic encounters was not found, it was approximated to a midway point between these two visits.
Data for this post hoc analysis were obtained from a prospective, observational (non-interventional), naturalistic, multicentre, multi-country study designed to compare medication adherence between two oral forms of olanzapine (either oro-dispersible or standard coated tablets) in patients with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder.
