D. Milea

Antidepressant Monotherapy: A Claims Database Analysis of Treatment Changes and Treatment Duration

BACKGROUND The basic principles of pharmacotherapy for depression are consistent among most US and western European guidelines. All recommend ≥6 months of antidepressant therapy and propose several alternatives in cases of inappropriate response. OBJECTIVES The aims of this analysis were to describe antidepressant treatment changes and treatment duration in patients undergoing treatment for a new episode of depression and to identify risk factors for treatment changes and treatment discontinuation. METHODS For this claims database analysis, adults and children treated with antidepressants for a new episode of depression in the time period from 2004 to 2006 were identified using the IMS LifeLink Health Plan Database. Treatment changes (defined as switches to an antidepressant or antipsychotic; combination with an antidepressant; or augmentation with lithium, an anticonvulsant, or an atypical antipsychotic) were described. Antidepressant treatment duration was assessed and described per treatment change. Risk factors for treatment change or discontinuation were identified using multivariate logistic regression (treatment change) or Cox regression (treatment duration). RESULTS Of 134,287 patients identified using the database (mean [SD] age, 39.1 [14.9] years; 68.1% women), 31,123 (23.2%) had a treatment change, most commonly an antidepressant switch (12,735 [9.5%]) or combination (12,214 [9.1%]). Antipsychotics were introduced in <5% of patients. The median overall treatment duration (111 days) was shorter than that recommended in the guidelines (≥ 6 months). Index antidepressant class was significantly associated with treatment change (higher for tricyclic antidepressants [TCAs] [odds ratio (OR) = 1.59 (95% CI, 1.48-1.70)]; lower for selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors [OR = 0.87 (95% CI, 0.84-0.91)]) and duration (increased risk for early discontinuation for TCAs [hazard ratio (HR) = 1.36 (95% CI, 1.30-1.44)]; lower risk for late discontinuation for serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors [HR = 0.81 (95% CI, 0.79-0.84)]). Indicators of depression severity or complexity (prescription by a mental health specialist, previous use of psychotropics, previous psychiatric hospitalization, and presence of psychosomatic comorbidities) were associated with a higher risk for treatment change and inconsistently associated with treatment duration. Two health plans were associated with increased risk for discontinuation (Medicaid, HR = 1.35 [95% CI, 1.28-1.42]; Medicare, HR = 1.38 [95% CI, 1.12-1.71]). Combination and augmentation strategies were associated with a lower risk for treatment discontinuation (combination, HR = 0.83 [95% CI, 0.81-0.86]; augmentation, HR = 0.75 [95% CI, 0.73-0.77]). Overall treatment duration was <30 days in 31,177 patients (26.2%) and >6 months in 54,502 (37.5%). CONCLUSIONS In this claims database analysis, changes in antidepressant treatment involved 23.2% of patients. The median overall treatment duration was shorter than recommended by guidelines due to a quarter of patients having early treatment discontinuation.

Benzodiazepine discontinuation with prolonged-release melatonin: hints from a German longitudinal prescription database

Objective: Prolonged-release (PR) melatonin is approved in Europe for the treatment of insomnia in patients aged 55 years and above. The objective of the study was to describe its prescription patterns and its impact on hypnotics use in routine clinical practice. Research design and methods: This is a retrospective study analyzing PR melatonin prescription data from a German longitudinal database (IMS® Disease Analyzer). All patients initiating PR melatonin over the 10 months after approval (April 2008 – February 2009) were included. Patients were classified according to their use of hypnotic benzodiazepines or benzodiazepine-like drugs (BZD/Z) in the 3-month period before and after PR melatonin initiation. Results: Of the 512 eligible patients, 380 (74%) were aged ≥ 55 years, 344 (67%) women and 112 (22%) previous BZD/Z users. Most of the latter (79/99, 79.8%) had used BZD/Z for at least 180 days. Approximately one-third (35/112, 31%) discontinued BZD/Z after PR melatonin initiation, and the BZD/Z discontinuation rate was higher in patients receiving two or three PR melatonin prescriptions than in patients receiving only one prescription (10/24 = 42% vs 25/88 = 28%, p = 0.21). Of the 400 patients without prior BZD/Z use, 39 (10%) received BZD/Z during the follow-up. Conclusions: Based on the observed 31% discontinuation rate, PR melatonin may help to facilitate BZD/Z discontinuation in older insomniacs.

Comparing antidepressant treatment patterns in older and younger adults: a claims database analysis.

OBJECTIVES: To compare depressed older (≥65) and younger (25–64) adults with regard to antidepressant treatment patterns and to assess factors associated with 180‐day nonpersistence.

Antidepressant switching patterns in the treatment of major depressive disorder: a General Practice Research Database (GPRD) Study

Aims: To investigate switching patterns of major antidepressant treatments and associated factors in a primary care adult population with major depressive disorder (MDD) using data from the General Practitioner Research Database (GPRD).

A cross-sectional study of functional disabilities and perceived cognitive dysfunction in patients with major depressive disorder in South Korea: The PERFORM-K study

PERFORM-K was a cross-sectional observational study that investigated functional disability, productivity and quality of life in MDD outpatients in South Korea, and the associations of these with depressive symptoms, perceived cognitive dysfunction and other factors. A total of 312 outpatients who started antidepressant monotherapy underwent a single study interview. Physicians and patients assessed depression severity. Patients also assessed: perceived cognitive dysfunction, functional disability, impaired productivity and quality of life. Patients had moderate to severe depression (MADRS mean total score: 28.9±7.3), and reported marked functional disability (SDS mean total score: 16.7±8.6), impaired productivity (WPAI mean overall work productivity loss: 52.4±31.8%), perceived cognitive dysfunction (PDQ-D mean total score: 29.9±18.6) and impaired quality of life (EQ-5D mean utility index score of 0.726±0.192). Greater functional disability and impairment in daily activities were associated with more severe depression and greater perceived cognitive dysfunction. Irrespective of depression severity, patients with more severe perceived cognitive dysfunction reported worse work-related productivity outcomes (higher presenteeism and greater overall work productivity loss). PERFORM-K confirms the impact of MDD on functional status and well-being in South Korean patients, and highlights the importance of recognising cognitive dysfunction in clinical practice.

A review of accessibility of administrative healthcare databases in the Asia-Pacific region

Objective We describe and compare the availability and accessibility of administrative healthcare databases (AHDB) in several Asia-Pacific countries: Australia, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, China, Thailand, and Malaysia. Methods The study included hospital records, reimbursement databases, prescription databases, and data linkages. Databases were first identified through PubMed, Google Scholar, and the ISPOR database register. Database custodians were contacted. Six criteria were used to assess the databases and provided the basis for a tool to categorise databases into seven levels ranging from least accessible (Level 1) to most accessible (Level 7). We also categorised overall data accessibility for each country as high, medium, or low based on accessibility of databases as well as the number of academic articles published using the databases. Results Fifty-four administrative databases were identified. Only a limited number of databases allowed access to raw data and were at Level 7 [Medical Data Vision EBM Provider, Japan Medical Data Centre (JMDC) Claims database and Nihon-Chouzai Pharmacy Claims database in Japan, and Medicare, Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS), Centre for Health Record Linkage (CHeReL), HealthLinQ, Victorian Data Linkages (VDL), SA-NT DataLink in Australia]. At Levels 3–6 were several databases from Japan [Hamamatsu Medical University Database, Medi-Trend, Nihon University School of Medicine Clinical Data Warehouse (NUSM)], Australia [Western Australia Data Linkage (WADL)], Taiwan [National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD)], South Korea [Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA)], and Malaysia [United Nations University (UNU)-Casemix]. Countries were categorised as having a high level of data accessibility (Australia, Taiwan, and Japan), medium level of accessibility (South Korea), or a low level of accessibility (Thailand, China, Malaysia, and Singapore). In some countries, data may be available but accessibility was restricted based on requirements by data custodians. Conclusions Compared with previous research, this study describes the landscape of databases in the selected countries with more granularity using an assessment tool developed for this purpose. A high number of databases were identified but most had restricted access, preventing their potential use to support research. We hope that this study helps to improve the understanding of the AHDB landscape, increase data sharing and database research in Asia-Pacific countries.

Depressed older adults may be less cared for than depressed younger ones

The aim of the study was to investigate depression treatment use, either psychotherapy (PT) or antidepressant drugs (ADT) in the older and younger depressed population. Cohorts of 6316 elderly (≥65 year-old) and 25,264 matched non-elderly (25-64 year-old) depressed patients were created from a large national claims database of managed care plans from 2003 to 2006. Factors associated with ADT or PT were assessed using multivariate logistic models. During the 120 days following the depression diagnosis, the elderly persons were less often treated than the younger adults either by ADT (25.6% vs. 33.8%) or by PT (13.0% vs. 34.4%). ADT dispensing occurred later in the elderly group (51 vs. 14 days). ADT was associated with comorbid chronic conditions or polypharmacy in the elderly and younger adults. The selection of treatment (ADT or PT) was associated with the history of treated depression using the same type of treatment, in both groups. Thus, depression goes commonly untreated. Comorbidity was associated with higher ADT dispensing rates. However, although depressed elderly commonly presented with comorbidity, this age group was at higher risk of untreated illness or later treatment.

Cost-effectiveness of vortioxetine versus venlafaxine (extended release) in the treatment of major depressive disorder in South Korea

ABSTRACT Objective: To assess the cost-effectiveness of vortioxetine versus venlafaxine XR (extended-release) in major depressive disorder (MDD) patients in South Korea. Methods: A 1-year cost-effectiveness analysis from a limited societal perspective was performed using a combined model consisting of a decision-tree and a Markov model. Patients entered the model when initiating or switching antidepressant treatment following inadequate response to previous treatment. Remission, relapse and recovery were the main health states. Results: Vortioxetine dominated venlafaxine XR, with quality-adjusted life year (QALY) gains of 0.0131 and cost savings of KRW 623,229/year [US

Predictors of care home and hospital admissions and their costs for older people with Alzheimer's disease: findings from a large London case register

530/year] from a limited societal perspective. Safety contributed more than efficacy to the incremental QALY gains. More patients were in recovery after initial treatment and after 1 year with vortioxetine (31%, 40%) compared to venlafaxine XR (23%, 36%). Vortioxetine remained dominant in 98% of probabilistic simulations. Conclusion: Vortioxetine dominated venlafaxine XR in South Korea and is a relevant treatment option for MDD patients initiating or switching therapy.

Memantine for treatment of moderate or severe Alzheimer’s disease patients in urban China: clinical and economic outcomes from a health economic model

Objectives To examine links between clinical and other characteristics of people with Alzheimers disease living in the community, likelihood of care home or hospital admission, and associated costs. Design Observational data extracted from clinical records using natural language processing and Hospital Episode Statistics. Statistical analyses examined effects of cognition, physical health, mental health, sociodemographic factors and living circumstances on risk of admission to care home or hospital over 6 months and associated costs, adjusting for repeated observations. Setting Catchment area for South London and Maudsley National Health Service Foundation Trust, provider for 1.2 million people in Southeast London. Participants Every individual with diagnosis of Alzheimers disease seen and treated by mental health services in the catchment area, with at least one rating of cognition, not resident in care home at time of assessment (n=3075). Interventions Usual treatment. Main outcome measures Risk of admission to, and days spent in three settings during 6-month period following routine clinical assessment: care home, mental health inpatient care and general hospital inpatient care. Results Predictors of probability of care home or hospital admission and/or associated costs over 6 months include cognition, functional problems, agitation, depression, physical illness, previous hospitalisations, age, gender, ethnicity, living alone and having a partner. Patterns of association differed considerably by destination. Conclusions Most people with dementia prefer to remain in their own homes, and funding bodies see this as cheaper than institutionalisation. Better treatment in the community that reduces health and social care needs of Alzheimers patients would reduce admission rates. Living alone, poor living circumstances and functional problems all raise admission rates, and so major cuts in social care budgets increase the risk of high-cost admissions which older people do not want. Routinely collected data can be used to reveal local patterns of admission and costs.