Kelly D. Johnson

Predictors of postherpetic neuralgia in patients with herpes zoster: a pooled analysis of prospective cohort studies from North and Latin America and Asia

OBJECTIVES The most common complication of herpes zoster (HZ) is postherpetic neuralgia (PHN), a persistent pain that can substantially affect quality of life (QoL). This analysis aimed to evaluate predictors of PHN in HZ patients. METHODS A pooled analysis of prospective cohort studies of HZ patients aged ≥ 50 years from North America (Canada), Latin America (Brazil, Mexico, and Argentina), and Asia (Taiwan, South Korea, and Thailand) was performed. Patients within 14 days of rash onset were included. The incidence of PHN was defined as a worst pain score of ≥ 3, persisting/appearing at >90 days after rash onset. Socio-demographics, HZ disease characteristics, treatment, pain-related interference with activities of daily living, and health-related QoL were assessed. RESULTS Of 702 patients with HZ, 148 (21.1%) developed PHN. Similar risks of PHN were observed across geographic regions. On multivariate analysis, older age, greater severity of pain at rash onset, employment status, walking problems at enrollment, and pain interference affecting social relationships were significantly associated with the development of PHN. CONCLUSIONS In addition to older age and severe acute pain, this study suggests that impaired physical and social functioning from acute zoster pain may play a role in the development of PHN in this prospective cohort study of HZ patients from North and Latin America and Asia.

Herpes Zoster Vaccine Coverage in Older Adults in the U.S., 2007–2013

INTRODUCTION This study aimed to assess the coverage of herpes zoster (HZ) vaccine among a large cohort of insured individuals aged ≥50 years from 2007 to 2013, and to determine the factors associated with being vaccinated for adults aged ≥60 years. METHODS This was a retrospective, observational study using the MarketScan® database conducted in 2015. The study population was U.S. adults aged ≥60 years during 2007-2013 and 50-59 years during 2011-2013. The claims of each eligible subject were evaluated post-index date to assess HZ vaccine uptake. Multivariate analyses were performed to understand factors associated with receiving HZ vaccine. RESULTS A total of 6,746,476 adults aged ≥60 years and 6,770,294 adults aged 50-59 years were identified. By 2013, 1.7% of adults aged 50-59 years, 23.9% of adults aged 60-64 years, and 14.5% of adults aged ≥65 years received HZ vaccine. Adults aged ≥65 years were less likely to receive HZ vaccine than those aged 60-64 years (hazard ratio [HR]=0.543; 95% CI=0.539, 0.547). Adults who were female, immunocompetent, and had more outpatient hospital, doctor office, and pharmacy visits were more likely to receive HZ vaccine. Adults who received influenza vaccine were more likely to receive HZ vaccine (HR=1.841; 95% CI=1.830, 1.853). CONCLUSIONS Estimated HZ vaccine coverage is 19.5% in adults aged ≥60 years, which is lower than the Healthy People 2020 target of 30%. Providers should identify every opportunity for HZ vaccination to assure that older adults are protected from HZ, a vaccine-preventable disease.

Adherence with and completion of recommended hepatitis vaccination schedules among adults in the United States

INTRODUCTION Adult vaccination coverage rates in the US are well below national targets, leaving many adults at increased risk. Additionally, typical vaccination coverage calculations do not adequately approximate population immunity as they do not consider whether multidose vaccines were administered within the recommended schedules. As timely administration of each dose optimizes overall vaccine effectiveness, we sought to document adherence to and completion of the hepatitis A (HepA), hepatitis B (HepB), and combined hepatitis A and hepatitis B (HepA-HepB) multidose vaccine schedule in an insured adult population in the US. METHODS We conducted a retrospective database study of administrative claims from 2008 to 2015 (analyzed in 2017). Completion of 2 (HepA) and 3 doses (HepB and HepA-HepB), and adherence to the 2- and 3-dose recommended schedules were measured among individuals aged 19 years and older at first dose. The proportion of patients who completed 2 and 3 doses and were adherent to the recommended schedule were estimated using Kaplan-Meier methods. RESULTS For HepA, 27.14% of initiating adults were adherent to the recommended schedule, and 32.05% had received a second dose by 42 months. Approximately one-third of adults who initiated the HepB or HepA-HepB series completed all 3 doses within 2 years of the minimum spacing (31.17% and 32.27%, respectively). Generally, completion and adherence were highest in individuals aged 60-64 years at the time of initiation. CONCLUSIONS Hepatitis vaccine adherence and completion in adults is suboptimal. As a result, the majority of adults initiating each series may not be receiving the full protective benefit of these multidose vaccines.

Measuring herpes zoster disease burden in São Paulo, Brazil: a clinico-epidemiological single-center study

OBJECTIVES: Herpes zoster is characterized by acute neuritis and post-herpetic neuralgia. Currently, data concerning the zoster-associated impact on quality of life and healthcare resource utilization in Brazil are scarce. This study measured the zoster-associated burden in a Brazilian population. METHODS: This was a prospective, observational, single-cohort study conducted in a primary hospital’s emergency room in São Paulo, Brazil. Patients enrolled at various timepoints during a zoster episode were followed over 180 days. The Zoster Brief Pain Inventory and the Initial Zoster Impact Questionnaire assessed zoster-associated pain. The EuroQoL assessed the impact of herpes zoster and/or zoster-associated pain on quality of life. Healthcare resource utilization was assessed by patient-reported questionnaires. RESULTS: One-hundred forty-six zoster patients were enrolled [mean (SD) age of 69.9 (10.9) years]. Mean (SD) worst pain scores decreased from 5.3 (3.5) at baseline to 1.9 (3.0) 180 days following rash onset. Mean (SD) EuroQoL scores significantly decreased from 0.9 (0.2) before rash appearance to 0.7 (0.2) after rash onset (p<0.001), followed by gradual improvements in quality of life over 180 days, with pre-herpes zoster quality of life achieved at the end of the observation period. The majority of patients purchased prescription medications (89.7%) and required doctor’s office visits (65.8%) for zoster episodes. CONCLUSIONS: Herpes zoster is associated with a significant disease burden, including zoster-associated pain, impaired quality of life and increased healthcare resource utilization in Brazil. These results support the implementation of early intervention and prevention programs such as vaccinations to reduce the herpes zoster-associated disease burden in Brazil.

Association between work time loss and quality of life in patients with Herpes Zoster: a pooled analysis of the MASTER studies

BackgroundHerpes zoster (HZ) has a significant negative effect on the productive work life of individuals, and has been shown to be responsible for cases of absenteeism, presenteeism and decreased work effectiveness. The aim of this study was to evaluate health utility scores and associated predictors in an actively employed population of Herpes Zoster (HZ) patients with and without work time loss (WTL).MethodsThis was a pooled analysis of the prospective, observational MASTER cohort studies, conducted in 8 countries across North America, Latin America and Asia. A total of 428 HZ patients engaged in full or part time work were included. WTL, defined as missing ≥ 1 partial or full work day, and work effectiveness, reported on a scale of 0–100%, were evaluated with the Work and Productivity Questionnaire (WPQ). The Pearson product–moment correlation was used to assess the correlation between work effectiveness and HRQoL. Mixed models with repeated measures assessed the relationship between HZ-related WTL over a 6-month follow-up period, and HRQoL, as evaluated by the EQ-5D. Additional predictors of HRQoL were also identified.ResultsOverall, 57.7% of respondents reported WTL. Mean (SD) percent work effectiveness of patients in the WTL group was significantly lower compared to non-WTL (NWTL) patients at baseline [50.3 (31.6) vs. 71.4 (27.8); p < 0.001]. Patients in the WTL group also reported lower health utility scores at baseline and overall than their NWTL counterparts, with WTL identified as an independent negative predictor of both the EQ-5D summary scores and the EQ-5D VAS (p < 0.001). Decrease in work effectiveness was negatively associated with HRQoL overall (p < 0.001). Predictors of lower HRQoL were worst Zoster Brief Pain Inventory (ZBPI) pain score, the presence of HZ complications and country income (predictor of EQ-5D VAS only).ConclusionsHZ adversely impacts the work and productive life of actively employed individuals. In turn, HZ-related reductions in work effectiveness and work time are associated with a negative effect on HRQoL.

Budget-Impact Analysis of Alternative Herpes Zoster Vaccine Strategies: A U.S. HMO Perspective

BACKGROUND A herpes zoster vaccine has been approved by the FDA for use in prevention of herpes zoster in individuals who are aged 50 years or older. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommends vaccination only in individuals who are aged 60 years and older. OBJECTIVES To (a) estimate the overall budget and health impact of either the introduction of a new vaccination strategy (individuals over the age of 50 years vs. individuals over the age of 60 years) within a hypothetical health plan or simply an increase in coverage within the population aged 60 years and over and (b) discern what effect copayments and changes to copayments have on the health plans budget. METHODS A decision-analytic economic model was developed to inform managed care decision makers of the potential effect on costs and outcomes associated with the use of the herpes zoster vaccine for prevention of herpes zoster (i.e., simple zoster or shingles). The model took a U.S. payer perspective. The number of eligible patients entering the model was estimated by considering the age distribution of the plan population and the percentage of patients contraindicated for vaccination (i.e., those who were immunocompromised or who had a history of anaphylactic/anaphylactoid reaction to gelatin, neomycin, or any other component of the vaccine). Eligible patients were vaccinated based on the projected uptake rates among the unvaccinated population in 2 possible vaccination scenarios: (1) a vaccination strategy in which only individuals over age 60 years can be vaccinated and (2) a vaccination strategy in which individuals over age 50 years can be vaccinated. Vaccination was assumed to reverse the age-related decline in immunity against zoster. The population vaccinated each year was estimated based on the uptake rates (percentage of the eligible unvaccinated that are vaccinated) required to reach a target annual coverage (percentage ever vaccinated). Patients could experience costs and outcomes related to vaccination or related to herpes zoster. Specifically, vaccination could cause adverse events that would require the use of health care resources. Patients who developed zoster could experience postherpetic neuralgia or develop nonpain complications that would require the use of health care resources. Vaccine costs, zoster cases (with and without postherpetic neuralgia or nonpain complication), and vaccine-related adverse events for the 2 vaccination scenarios were estimated for each budget year. RESULTS For a managed care organization population of 5 million members, the model estimated that a vaccination program that included patients over age 50 years instead of a program limiting vaccination to those over age 60 years was associated with a decrease in the number of patients developing zoster (2,372-3,392 cases avoided over 5 years). Annual incremental per-member-per-month (PMPM) costs associated with this vaccination program change were estimated to range from

Hepatitis A and Hepatitis B Recombinant Vaccine Adherence In The United States

0.08 to

Adherence to Multi-Dose Hepatitis A and Hepatitis B Vaccine Schedules in the United States

0.14. When the vaccination program was kept at age 60 years and over and coverage was increased, the model estimated that the annual incremental PMPM costs ranged from

Cost-effectiveness analysis of herpes zoster vaccine in adults above 50 in Singapore

0.04 to

Impact of Cost-Sharing on Preventive Health Services in the United States: A Critical Review

0.06. Differences in costs were driven primarily by vaccination costs. The results of the scenario analyses showed that lower vaccination costs because of the application of copayments for a managed care organization reduced the magnitude of the total cost increase associated with the increase in uptake. CONCLUSIONS Vaccinating individuals aged 50 to 59 years with the herpes zoster vaccine would likely have an impact on a health plans budget because of the expected increase in the total number of individuals being vaccinated in the population, with limited cost savings because of fewer cases of herpes zoster. Higher coverage of vaccinations resulted in a greater increase in total costs each year. However, increasing coverage would also result in a decrease in the number of individuals developing zoster and associated postherpetic neuralgia and nonpain complications over the next 5 years. DISCLOSURES Merck & Co. funded this study/research and was involved in all stages of study conduct, including analysis of the data. Merck & Co. also undertook all costs associated with the development and publication of this manuscript. Graham and Mauskopf (and/or their institutions) received research funding from Merck & Co. to develop the budget-impact estimates and for other research studies. Johnson, Xu, and Acosta are employees of Merck & Co. Kawai was employed by Merck & Co. during part of the time of this study. Graham and Mauskopf were primarily responsible for the design and programming of the economic model, identification and final selection of the input parameter values, interpretation of the study results, and preparation of the study report. Johnson, Kawai, Xu, and Acosta contributed to model design, input parameter estimation, interpretation of the results, and review of and revisions to the study report. All authors had access to the data, participated in the development of this manuscript, and gave final approval before submission. All authors have agreed to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.