Fibromyalgia Drugs Tested for Value

Investigators compare common fibromyalgia therapies.

By
Kathryn Wighton
March 23, 2026
3 min

MDSpire News

Objective:

To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of duloxetine 120 mg compared to amitriptyline and other FDA-approved fibromyalgia treatments.

Approach:

Key Findings:

Duloxetine 120 mg generated more QALYs (10.40) compared to amitriptyline (9.99) at a slightly higher lifetime cost ($115,770 vs $115,145).
The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio for duloxetine 120 mg was $1,536 per QALY.
Duloxetine 120 mg produced an incremental net monetary benefit of $40,075 at a willingness-to-pay threshold of $100,000 per QALY.
Pregabalin and milnacipran regimens were economically dominated by duloxetine 120 mg.
Including indirect costs, duloxetine 120 mg was cost-saving relative to amitriptyline.

Interpretation:

Duloxetine 120 mg offers the greatest economic value for patients with fibromyalgia, emphasizing the need to consider societal costs in treatment decisions.

Limitations:

The model did not fully capture real-world treatment patterns such as dose adjustments or combination therapy.
Cost estimates relied on published data that may vary across different practice settings.