A Markov model of the cost-effectiveness of human-derived follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) versus recombinant FSH using comparative clinical trial data

This study compared the cost and effectiveness of highly purified, human-derived follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) (Bravelle®) to recombinant FSH (Follistim®) using Markov modeling and Monte Carlo simulation. One IVF treatment cycle resulted in costs of $11,584 ± $211 for human-derived FSH and $12,762 ± $170 for recombinant FSH, while three treatment cycles, holding the transition probabilities of the first cycle constant for the next two cycles, resulted in costs of $22,712 ± $1,107 for human-derived FSH and $24,935 ± $1,205 for recombinant FSH.