Clinical economics review: Cost-effectiveness of treatment alternatives for gastro-oesophageal reflux disease

Gastro-oesophageal reflux disease is a chronic recurring disorder, which is widespread, especially in Western societies. Faced with increasing health costs and finite resources, an increasingly important part of evaluating new treatments is economic appraisal. In this paper, we review critically the published economic studies of the cost-effectiveness of treatments for gastro-oesophageal reflux disease. Proton pump inhibitors are considered the best choice for the management of grades II-IV oesophagitis and are more cost-effective than H₂-receptor antagonists because of their fast healing of oesophagitis, early relief of symptoms, and prevention of recurrent oesophagitis and development of complications.