Table 3.

Breakdown of discounted lifetime costs by treatment at initiation

Functional class	Item	Ambrisentan 5 mg	Ambrisentan 10 mg	Bosentan	Sildenafil	Tadalafil	Riociguat	Supportive care
II	PAH-specific drugs	$341,088	$317,768	$314,817	$93,602	$66,920	$334,140	$0
	Monitoring/therapeutic proceduresa	$3131	$2913	$3484	$1768	$1573	$1643	$1394
	Hospital/ER/clinic visitsb	$23,882	$32,953	$42,901	$29,213	$41,522	$31,638	$63,053
	Supportive care drugsc	$3608	$4886	$6182	$4332	$5991	$4711	$10,833
	Epoprostenold	$5478	$19,002	$38,899	$17,339	$37,239	$16,358	$79,921
III	PAH-specific drugs	$261,295	$253,884	$261,209	$72,780	$55,154	$265,827	$0
	Monitoring/therapeutic proceduresa	$2385	$2316	$2878	$1367	$1291	$1300	$1200
	Hospital/ER/clinic visitsb	$51,793	$59,704	$66,052	$53,580	$64,352	$58,926	$79,770
	Supportive care drugsc	$8052	$8883	$9500	$7971	$9720	$8825	$13,986
	Epoprostenold	$28,049	$52,098	$73,341	$45,421	$70,518	$48,703	$109,328

ER emergency room, PAH pulmonary arterial hypertension, NYHA New York Heart Association FC functional class

All costs are expressed in Canadian dollars

^aIncludes monthly liver function tests for bosentan and ambrisentan, monthly pregnancy test for bosentan, and annual pregnancy tests for ambrisentan; echocardiograms, renal function, and blood work for all therapies

^bIncludes general practitioner visits, specialist visits, nurse visits, hospitalizations, emergency room visits, therapeutic procedures (echocardiograph and blood work)

^cWarfarin 5 mg daily in 53 % of patients, furosemide 100 mg daily in 69 % of patients, digoxin 0.125 mg daily in 26 % of patients, and home oxygen therapy in 5 % of patients with NYHA FC II, 27 % of patients with NYHA FC III and 71 % of patients with NYHA FC IV receiving PAH-specific therapies, and 100 % of patients with NYHA FC IV receiving supportive care

^dEpoprostenol was initiated in 50 % of patients upon deterioration to FC IV in those receiving PAH-specific therapies and in 100 % of patients receiving only supportive care