Study: Medtronic’s Spasticity Treatment for Cerebral Palsy Cost-Effective

A new study suggests that Medtronic, Inc.’s therapy method to treat spasticity—tight or stiff muscles—in children with cerebral palsy not only enhances their quality of life, but carries fewer side effects than oral medications and is also more cost-effective compared to other treatments.

The treatment, which is known as Medtronic ITB Therapy, is designed to reduce spasticity and improve muscle function and control by delivering a muscle relaxant straight to the fluid-filled area around the spinal cord.

However, despite the extensive clinical tests proving the efficacy of the treatment, ITB Therapy isn’t frequently used—mostly due to concerns about the price of the pump and the surgery to insert it.

“The cost of ITB Therapy should not prevent pediatric patients with spasticity of cerebral origin from receiving this clinically effective treatment,” said lead author of the study, Dr. Terence Edgar. “Specifically, we found that the projected improvement in quality of life justifies the estimated five-year treatment cost based on well-established guidelines for cost-effectiveness.

Study Details

Dr. Edgar and a team of researchers and health economists utilized computer stimulation and mathematical modeling to predict the incremental cost per quality-adjusted life-year for identical groups of children receiving ITB Therapy or other treatments during a five-year period.

While researchers found that ITB Therapy did raise the five-year cost of treatment by nearly $50,000 compared to alternative treatment, it did provide an average increase of 1.2 quality-adjusted life-years.

The study concluded that the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of $42,000 per quality-adjusted life-year was way below the $50,000 to $100,000 price range that is broadly accepted “as offering good value for money.”

“Cost-effectiveness is an important consideration in today’s healthcare environment,” said senior vice president of Medtronic, Inc. Dr. Richard E. Kuntz, M.D. “This study supports the cost-effectiveness of Medtronic ITB Therapy, an effective treatment for severe spasticity in children with cerebral palsy has the potential to restore functional ability and a better quality of life to thousands of people every year.”

The study is published in the Journal of Child Neurology.

Does your child have cerebral palsy? You may be eligible to recover the costs of medical care and life-long treatment. Please contact a cerebral palsy attorney to learn more about your legal rights and options.