A 240-year-old drug called digoxin could save the National Health Service (NHS) at least £100 million each year when treating older patients with atrial fibrillation and heart failure.
University of BirminghamJan 31 2025 A 240-year-old drug called digoxin could save the National Health Service at least £100 million each year when treating older patients with atrial fibrillation and heart failure . This was compared to usual treatment with a beta-blocker according to a new study from the University of Birmingham, the city where digoxin was first used in 1785.
The RATE-AF trial, funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research, included 160 patients and randomly assigned them to receive digoxin or beta-blockers for 12 months. An economic analysis was conducted to work out cost-effectiveness. This study highlights the importance of health economic assessments and the role they can play to deliver appropriate treatments within the health service. At the usual £20,000 per quality-adjusted life year threshold, the probability of digoxin being cost-effective compared to beta-blockers was 94%, which could lead to substantial savings if the trial results were adopted more broadly in this population.
Atrial Fibrillation Clinical Trial Drugs Heart Failure Research
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