Christopher M. Black

Relationship between disease severity and quality of life and assessment of health care utilization and cost for ulcerative colitis in Australia: A cross-sectional, observational study

BACKGROUND & AIMS The burden of ulcerative colitis (UC) in relation to disease severity is not well documented. This study quantitatively evaluated the relationship between disease activity and quality of life (QoL), as well as health care utilization, cost, and work-related impairment associated with UC in an Australian population. METHODS A cross-sectional, noninterventional, observational study was performed in patients with a wide range of disease severity recruited during routine specialist consultations. Evaluations included the Assessment of Quality of Life-8-dimension (AQoL-8D), EuroQol 5-dimension, 5-level (EQ-5D-5L), the disease-specific Inflammatory Bowel Disease Questionnaire (IBDQ), and the Work Productivity and Activity Impairment (WPAI) instrument. The 3-item Partial Mayo Score was used to assess disease severity. Health care resource utilization was assessed by chart review and patient questionnaires. RESULTS In 175 patients, mean (SD) AQoL-8D and EQ-5D-5L scores were greater for patients in remission (0.80 [0.19] and 0.81 [0.18], respectively) than for patients with active disease (0.70 [0.20] and 0.72 [0.19], respectively, both Ps<0.001). IBDQ correlated with both AQoL-8D (r=0.73; P<0.0001) and EQ-5D-5L (0.69; P<0.0001). Mean 3-month UC-related health care cost per patient was AUD

Assessing physician and patient acceptance of infliximab biosimilars in rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondyloarthritis and psoriatic arthritis across Germany

2914 (SD=

Dose Escalation and Healthcare Resource Use among Ulcerative Colitis Patients Treated with Adalimumab in English Hospitals: An Analysis of Real-World Data

3447 [mean for patients in remission=

Persistence and costs with subcutaneous TNF-alpha inhibitors in immune-mediated rheumatic disease stratified by treatment line

1970; mild disease=

Assessing gastroenterologist and patient acceptance of biosimilars in ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease across Germany

3736; moderate/severe disease=

Systematic review of clinical, humanistic, and economic outcome comparisons between radiographic and non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis☆

4162]). Patients in remission had the least work and activity impairment. CONCLUSIONS More severe UC disease was associated with poorer QoL. Substantial health care utilization, costs, and work productivity impairments were found in this sample of patients with UC. Moreover, greater disease activity was associated with greater health care costs and impairment in work productivity and daily activities.

Implementing the Concept of Continuous Clinical Response Into Clinical Practice for Ulcerative Colitis.

Objectives We examined rheumatologists’ motivation for prescribing biosimilars, assessed their treatment preferences in relation to prescribing behavior and explored patient attitudes to biosimilars. Methods Data were taken from the Adelphi Real World Biosimilars Programme, a real-world, cross-sectional study undertaken with German rheumatologists and patients with rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondyloarthritis or psoriatic arthritis in 2015–2016. Rheumatologists provided data on their prescribing behavior and attitudes toward biosimilars and invited the next eight eligible consecutive consulting patients to complete a questionnaire. Rheumatologists were split into “investigative”, “conservative” and “other” groups. Results Overall, 50 rheumatologists and 261 patients participated. Biosimilars accounted for <10% of all biologic therapy prescriptions, and >95% of rheumatologists would prescribe a biooriginator rather than biosimilar as the first- or second-line therapy if unrestricted. Patients showed some reluctance to accept biosimilars, and a small proportion of patients were unhappy when switched from a biooriginator to a biosimilar. Satisfaction with treatment was highest in patients who started treatment with a biooriginator prior to biosimilar availability. Patient concerns when starting treatment with a biooriginator or a biosimilar included not knowing enough about the drug (25%–41%), potential side effects (26%–32%) and potential long-term problems (19%–30%). Conclusion Study results demonstrate that there is some reluctance from patients to accept biosimilars and the need to educate patients who are unsure to allow them to be involved in decision making, highlighting the importance of patient and physician communication. There remains a need for further research into nonclinical switching and the long-term impact of prescribing biosimilars.

P618 The relationship between disease severity, quality of life and health care resource utilization among United Kingdom patients with ulcerative colitis

Objective To describe the real-world use of adalimumab for maintenance treatment of ulcerative colitis (UC) and associated healthcare costs in English hospitals. Design Retrospective cohort study. Setting Analysis of NHS Hospital Episode Statistics linked with pharmacy dispensing data in English hospitals. Patients Adult UC patients receiving ≥240mg during adalimumab treatment induction, subsequently maintained on adalimumab. Outcomes Frequency and pattern of adalimumab use and dose escalation during maintenance treatment and associated healthcare costs (prescriptions and hospital visits). Results 191 UC patients completed adalimumab treatment induction. 83 (43.46%) dose escalated during maintenance treatment by ≥100% (equivalent to weekly dosing) (median time to dose escalation: 139 days). 56 patients (67.47%) subsequently de-escalated by ≥50% (median time to dose de-escalation: 21 days). Mean all-cause healthcare costs for all patients ≤12 months of index were £13,892. Dose escalators incurred greater mean healthcare costs than non-escalators ≤12 months of index (£14,596 vs. £13,351). Prescriptions accounted for 96.49% of UC-related healthcare costs (£11,090 of £11,494 in all patients). Conclusions Within the cohort, 43.46% of UC patients escalated their adalimumab dose by ≥100% and incurred greater costs than non-escalators. The apparent underestimation of adalimumab dose escalation in previous studies may have resulted in underestimated costs in healthcare systems.

Economic Burden, Mortality, and Institutionalization in Patients Newly Diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease

Objectives The objectives of this study were to 1) describe and compare treatment persistence with first- and second-line subcutaneous tumor necrosis factor-alpha inhibitors (SC-TNFis) in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS), psoriatic arthritis (PsA), or rheumatoid arthritis (RA) (collectively immune-mediated rheumatic disease) in Sweden and 2) estimate and contrast health care costs in the two groups. Methods Patients who initiated their first or second SC-TNFi between May 6 2010 and December 12 2012 were identified from the Prescribed Drug Register. Persistence was estimated using survival analysis. Costs comprised specialized outpatient care, inpatient care, and medication. The persistence analysis was stratified by immune-mediated rheumatic disease diagnosis. Results A total of 4,903 patients treated with their first and 845 patients treated with their second SC-TNFi were identified. Baseline characteristics differed between the two groups. Therefore, propensity score matching analysis was implemented. Second-line patients were matched to first-line patients, and four cohort pairs (AS, PsA, RA, and all diagnoses combined) were generated. Patients treated with their first SC-TNFi had statistically significant higher persistence than patients treated with their second SC-TNFi in PsA (P=0.036), RA (P=0.048), and all diagnoses combined (P<0.001) but not in AS (P=0.741). Patients who were treated with their second SC-TNFi incurred higher costs than patients treated with their first SC-TNFi. Conclusion Overall, persistence to the first SC-TNFi was higher than persistence to the second SC-TNFi. Furthermore, the second SC-TNFi was associated with higher costs than the first SC-TNFi. Therefore, prescribing the SC-TNFi with the best long-term persistence first may be beneficial.

REAL WORLD ADMINISTRATION OF THE ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE ASSESSMENT SCALE-COGNITIVE

Objectives This study examined gastroenterologists’ motivation for prescribing biosimilars, assessed their treatment preferences in relation to prescribing behaviour, and explored patient attitudes to biosimilars. Methods Data were taken from the Adelphi Real World Biosimilars Programme, a real-world, cross-sectional study undertaken in 2015–2016 with German gastroenterologists and patients with ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease. Gastroenterologists provided data on their prescribing behaviour and attitudes towards biosimilars, and invited the next eight eligible consecutive consulting patients to complete a detailed questionnaire. For analysis, gastroenterologists were split into ‘Investigative’, ‘Conservative’, and ‘Other’ groups. Results Overall, 25 gastroenterologists and 136 patients participated. Biosimilars accounted for <15% of all biologic therapies and >80% of gastroenterologists would prescribe a bio-originator rather than biosimilar as 1st line therapy if unrestricted. Patients showed some reluctance to accept biosimilars, although of those receiving biosimilars, 79% were satisfied with the current treatment of their condition, and 69% were satisfied with the control of symptoms. Although at least 35% of patients in each analysis group reported no concerns when starting treatment with a bio-originator or biosimilar, 41% of previously biologic-naïve patients prescribed a biosimilar indicated potential side effects and potential long-term problems, and 24% not knowing enough about the drug, as concerns. Conclusion Results demonstrate that there is reluctance from patients to accept biosimilars and the need to further educate patients who are unsure to allow them to be involved in decision making, highlighting the importance of patient and physician communication. There remains a need for further research into non-clinical switching and the long term impact of prescribing biosimilars.