Heidi C. Waters

Treatment persistence with adalimumab, etanercept, or infliximab in combination with methotrexate and the effects on health care costs in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

BACKGROUND Anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) biologic agents are effective in treating rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Information on patient persistence with biologic anti-TNF therapies is limited, and the effects of persistence on the costs of therapy are unknown. OBJECTIVES The aims of this study were to compare treatment persistence with adalimumab, etanercept, or infliximab in combination withmethotrexate (MTX) and evaluate the effects of persistence on overall health care costs. METHODS This retrospective study used data from the PharMetrics managed care administrative claims database. Data from patients with RA who received combination treatment with an anti-TNF agent plus MTX and had > or = 24 months of continuous plan eligibility were collected. The 3 anti-TNF cohorts were adalimumab + MTX (adalimumab group), etanercept + MTX (etanercept group), and infliximab + MTX (infliximab group). Treatment persistence was defined as the number of days between the first and last anti-TNF treatment and was reported as a percentage of the 1-year period after treatment initiation. Costs were compared between patients with treatment persistence rates > or = 80% or <80%. Demographics, comorbidities, disease severity, and RA-related costs were assessed using descriptive statistics. Univariate and multivariate analyses were applied to identify differences in mean persistence between the 3 cohorts. RESULTS Data from 1242 patients were included (77.7% female; mean age, 50.0 years). The mean persistence rate in the overall population was 74.6%, and the mean treatment time was 272.3 days. The infliximab group had a higher persistence rate compared with the etanercept and adalimumab groups (78.0% vs 72.8% and 70.8%, respectively; P < 0.005). In all patients combined, those with treatment persistence > or = 80% had higher mean total health care costs compared with those with treatment persistence <80% (

Effects of fistula on healthcare costs and utilization for patients with Crohn's disease treated in a managed care environment.

19,271.52 vs

Health Care Expenditures in Ulcerative Colitis : The Perspective of a Self-Insured Employer

15,598.46; P < 0.001), largely due to higher pharmacy costs. However, nonpharmacy costs were lower in the > or = 80% persistence cohort (

A claims-based Markov model for Crohn's disease.

3091 vs

Assessing Drug Treatment Preferences of Patients with Crohn’s Disease

4601; P = 0.015). CONCLUSIONS In this population of patients with RA, overall treatment persistence was high, with patients treated with infliximab + MTX having significantly higher persistence compared with those treated with adalimumab + MTX or etanercept + MTX. While pharmacy costs were higher in patients with > or = 80% persistence, nonpharmacy costs were lower.

Administrative claims analysis of all-cause annual costs of care and resource utilization by age category for ulcerative colitis patients.

Background: Fistulas are a common complication of Crohns disease (CD) and are difficult to treat effectively. This study aimed to assess the effects of fistula on annual costs of healthcare and resource utilization for patients with CD. Methods: A retrospective analysis, using the PharMetrics database, of patients with a diagnosis of CD from January 1, 2000 through June 30, 2005 was conducted. Using paid claim amounts, healthcare costs and resource utilization were compared for patients with and without fistula in the year following diagnosis. Further analysis compared costs for adult, pediatric, and older adult patients with and without fistula. Results: This analysis included 13,454 patients with CD, of whom 12,683 (94.3%) had no diagnosis of fistula. The total median (range) cost per patient was higher for the fistula cohort (

PSY14 COMPARISON OF ABSENTEEISM AND TOTAL HEALTH CARE EXPENDITURES FOR INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE PRE AND POST ANTI-TNF USE

10,863 [

PSY13 COMPARISON OF TOTAL HEALTH CARE EXPENDITURES AND ABSENTEEISM FOR INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE FROM AN EMPLOYER'S PERSPECTIVE

0–

Utilization and surgical procedures following Colectomy in patients with Ulcerative Colitis: P-0101.

1,307,019]) than the nonfistula cohort (

S1138 Clinical Course and Healthcare Cost in Ulcerative Colitis: Markov Analysis of a European Population-Based Cohort

6268 [