Cost-effectiveness of RefluxStop for Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease: Analysis from an Italian Healthcare Perspective

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is estimated to affect up to one-quarter of the Italian population, generating immense treatment costs. An emergent surgical treatment involving implantation of a nonactive device, RefluxStop, is offered at a number of hospitals in Italy and several other European countries. Published clinical outcomes of this device from the Conformité Européenne (CE)-mark clinical trial and real-world settings are consistently encouraging and with a favorable safety profile. This study evaluated the cost-effectiveness of RefluxStop compared with the current medical and surgical standards of care in Italy. A Markov model recently developed for use in the United Kingdom was adapted to the Italian healthcare payer’s perspective, covering the GERD treatment field. The model incorporated a lifetime horizon, one-month cycle length, and a 3