Maral DerSarkissian

Overall survival with ponatinib versus allogeneic stem cell transplantation in Philadelphia chromosome-positive leukemias with the T315I mutation

Effective treatment options for patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) or Philadelphia‐positive (Ph+) acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) who have the threonine to isoleucine mutation at codon 315 (T315I) are few. The objective of this study was to compare overall survival (OS) between patients with CML and those with Ph+ ALL who received treatment with ponatinib versus allogeneic stem cell transplantation (allo‐SCT).

Impact of Paliperidone Palmitate Versus Oral Atypical Antipsychotics on Health Care Resource Use and Costs in Veterans with Schizophrenia.

OBJECTIVE To compare health care resource utilization and costs in veterans with schizophrenia treated with paliperidone palmitate (PP) versus oral atypical antipsychotics (OAAs). METHODS A retrospective longitudinal study was conducted using electronic health record data from the Veterans Health Administration. Veterans with schizophrenia (identified using ICD-9-CM 295.x) initiating PP or OAAs between January 2010 and October 2014, with ≥ 12 months of benefits enrollment prior to treatment initiation and ≥ 6 months of enrollment after treatment initiation, and with ≥ 1 Global Assessment of Functioning measurement at baseline were included. Inverse probability of treatment weighted regression models were used to estimate incidence rate ratios (IRRs) and cost differences (CDs) for the impact of PP versus OAAs on health care resource utilization and costs. RESULTS Among 10,290 eligible veterans, 2,285 and 8,005 were initiated on PP and OAAs, respectively. After adjustment, PP was associated with less frequent all-cause inpatient hospitalizations (IRR = 0.89, P < .001) and more frequent mental health intensive case management visits (IRR = 1.81, P < .001) compared to OAAs. PP treatment was associated with higher likelihood of increased income (odds ratio [OR] = 1.20, P = .027) and lower likelihood of homelessness (OR = 0.82, P < .001). While mean annual pharmacy and outpatient costs were higher among PP users (CD =

Maintenance of weight loss or stability in subjects with obesity: a retrospective longitudinal analysis of a real-world population

3,417 pharmacy,

Relationship between patient copayments in Medicare Part D and vaccination claim status for herpes zoster and tetanus-diphtheria-acellular pertussis

2,527 outpatient, P < .001), mean annual inpatient costs were lower (CD = -

Impact of Paliperidone Palmitate Versus Oral Atypical Antipsychotics on Health Care Resource Use and Costs in Veterans With Schizophrenia and Comorbid Substance Abuse

14,456, P < .001), resulting in average annual total health care (medical and pharmacy) cost savings associated with PP (CD = -

Comparing Clinical and Economic Outcomes Associated with Early Initiation of Combination Therapy of an Alpha Blocker and Dutasteride or Finasteride in Men with Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia in the United States

8,511, P = .012) relative to OAAs. CONCLUSIONS PP treatment was associated with significantly lower total health care costs attributable to reduced inpatient admissions compared to OAAs. Higher mental health intensive case management participation among PP users may have contributed to the differences observed.

Health Care Resource Utilization and Costs Associated with Transitioning to 3-month Paliperidone Palmitate Among US Veterans

Abstract Objectives: Characterize patterns of weight change among subjects with obesity. Methods: A retrospective observational longitudinal study of subjects with obesity was conducted using the General Electric Centricity electronic medical record database. Subjects who were ≥18 years old with BMI ≥30 kg/m2 (first defining index BMI), had no medical conditions associated with unintentional weight loss, and had ≥4 BMI measurements/year for ≥2.5 years were included and categorized into groups (stable weight: within <5% of index BMI; modest weight loss: ≥5 to <10% of index BMI lost; moderate weight loss: ≥10 to <15% of index BMI lost; and high weight loss: ≥15% of index BMI lost) based on weight change during 6 months following index. No interventions were considered. Patterns of weight change were then assessed for 2 years. Results: A total of 177,743 subjects were included: 85.1% of subjects were in the stable weight, 9.3% in the modest, 2.3% in the moderate, and 3.3% in the high weight loss groups. The proportion of subjects who maintained or continued to lose weight decreased over the 2 year observation period; 11% of those with high weight loss continued to lose weight and 19% maintained their weight loss. This group had the lowest percentage of subjects who regained ≥50% of lost weight and the lowest proportion of subjects with weight cycling (defined as not continuously losing, gaining, or maintaining weight throughout the 2 year observation period relative to its beginning). This trend persisted in subgroups with class II–III obesity, pre-diabetes, and type 2 diabetes. Conclusion: Weight cycling and regain were commonly observed. Subjects losing the most weight during the initial period were more likely to continue losing weight.

Efficacy of Ponatinib Versus Earlier Generation Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors for Front-line Treatment of Newly Diagnosed Philadelphia-positive Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

Abstract Objective: To assess the relationship between copay amount and vaccination claim submission status for tetanus-diphtheria-acellular pertussis (Tdap) and herpes zoster (GSK study identifier: HO-14-14319). Methods: Retrospective analyses were performed using vaccination administrative claims data in patients aged ≥65 years with ≥1 claim for Tdap or zoster vaccines between 2012 and 2014. To avoid confounding by other financial responsibility, analyses were conducted among patients in the copayment phase of insurance. The impact of patient copay amount on vaccination claim status (“canceled” vs. “paid”) was evaluated by logistic regression separately for Tdap and zoster, adjusting for patient and provider characteristics. Results: A total of 81,027 (39.2% with canceled claims) and 346,417 patients (56.8% with canceled claims) were included in the Tdap and zoster analyses, respectively. Mean (standard deviation) copay for canceled vs. paid claims was

Removal of ineligible outcome cases reduces confounding

37.2 (18.4) vs.

The Impact of Ponatinib Versus Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplant (SCT) on Outcomes in Patients with Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML) or Philadelphia Chromosome-Positive Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (Ph+ ALL) with the T315I Mutation

31.1 (20.1) for Tdap and