MALE INFERTILITY: Diagnosis and Treatment

Genetic risk factors in infertile men with severe oligozoospermia and azoospermia

Kaylen Silverberg, M.D.,^a Salim Daya, M.B., M.Sc.,^b Jean Paul Auray, Ph.D.^c Gerald Duru, Ph.D.,^c William Ledger, M.R.C.O.G.,^d Matts Wikland, M.D., Ph.D,,^e Renda Bouzayen, M.D.,^f Mark O'Brien, M.D.,^g Barri Falk, M.S., ^h and Ariel Beresniak, M.D., Ph.D.^g
Result(s): More ongoing pregnancies were achieved, with fewer stimulation cycles, after recombinant hurnan FSH (Gonal-F) than after urinary FSH (Fertinex) (40,665 versus 37,890). In addition, recombinant human FSH was also found to be more cost effective per ongoing pregnancy. From a societal perspective, the mean cost per pregnancy was $40,688 for recombinant human FSH versus $47,096 for urinary FSH. From the insurers' perspective, the mean cost/pregnancy for recombinant human FSH was $28,481 versus $32,967 for urinary FSH.
Conclusion(s):): Recombinant human FSH (Gonal-F) is not only more efficient clinically than urinary FSH (Fertinex), but also more cost effective. This analysis illustrates the point that the economic effectiveness of a drug depends less on its acquisition costs and rather more on the clinical outcomes associated with its use.

(Abstracted from Fertility and Sterility Vol. 77, No. 1, January 2002, pp. 107-13.)