Cost-Utility Analysis of Intensive Blood Glucose Control with Metformin versus Usual Care in Overweight Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Patients in Beijing, P.R. China

Objective: The UKPDS 34 and 51 showed that intensive blood glucose control with metformin is cost-saving and increases life expectancy in overweight type 2 diabetic patients in the United Kingdom. Diabetes is becoming an important health problem in urban China. This study addresses the effects and costs of intensive blood glucose control in this setting, aimed at supporting decision-making on the allocation of scarce resources. Methods: A decision analytic model was developed to esti-mate the costs and effectiveness of intensive blood glucose control in overweight type 2 diabetes patients in Beijing, compared with usual care in accordance with clinical practice. The analysis was carried out from a health-care perspective. Results: The base-case analysis (3 % discount rate) show