Objective: This study was undertaken to assess the impact of 17 alpha hydroxyprogesterone caproate treatment on future medical costs for expectant mothers with a prior spontaneous preterm birth.
Study design: Data on the costs of preterm birth were combined with published data on the effectiveness of 17 alpha hydroxyprogesterone caproate to produce estimates of the effect of treatment on expected future direct medical costs. These estimates were compared with an estimate of the cost of a typical 17 alpha hydroxyprogesterone caproate treatment regimen to estimate the net savings per treated woman.
Results: Treatment is estimated to reduce initial neonatal hospitalization costs by 3800 dollars per woman treated with 17 alpha hydroxyprogesterone caproate. Expected lifetime medical costs (discounted) of treated infants are estimated to decline 15,900 dollars.
Conclusions: Treating expectant mothers with a prior spontaneous preterm birth with 17 alpha hydroxyprogesterone caproate generates future medical cost savings that substantially exceed the cost of treatment. If this population were universally treated with 17 alpha hydroxyprogesterone caproate, discounted lifetime medical costs of their offspring could be reduced by more than 2.0 billion dollars annually.