The cost-effectiveness of isavuconazole compared to voriconazole, the standard of care in the treatment of patients with invasive mould diseases, prior to differential pathogen diagnosis in Spain.

BACKGROUND: Invasive mould diseases are associated with high morbidity, mortality and economic impact. Its treatment is often started prior to differential pathogen diagnosis. Isavuconazole is approved for treatment of invasive aspergillosis (IA) and invasive mucormycosis (IM) when amphotericin-B is not indicated. OBJECTIVES: To estimate the cost-effectiveness of isavuconazole vs voriconazole for the treatment of adult patients with possible IA prior to differential pathogen diagnosis, in Spain. METHODS: A decision tree analysis was performed using the Spanish Healthcare System perspective. Among all patients with possible IA, it was considered that 7.81% actually had IM. Costs for laboratory analysis, management of adverse events, hospitalisation and drugs per patient, deaths and long-term effects in life years (LYs) and quality-adjusted LYs (QALYs) were considered. Efficacy data were obtained from clinical trials and utilities from the literature. Deterministic and probabilistic sensitivity analyses (PSA) were conducted. RESULTS: In patients with possible IA and when compared to voricanozole, isavuconazole showed an incremental cost of 4758.53€, besides an incremental effectiveness of +0.49 LYs and +0.41 QALYs per patient. The Incremental Cost Effectiveness Ratio was 9622.52€ per LY gained and 11,734.79€ per QALY gained. The higher cost of isavuconazole was due to drug acquisition. Main parameters influencing results were mortality, treatment duration and hospitalisation days. The PSA results showed that isavuconazole has a probability of being cost-effective of 67.34%, being dominant in 24.00% of cases. CONCLUSIONS: Isavuconazole is a cost-effective treatment compared to voriconazole for patients with possible IA for a willingness to pay threshold of 25,000€ per additional QALY.

Economic evaluation of azoles as primary prophylaxis for the prevention of invasive fungal infections in Spanish patients undergoing allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplant.

Patients undergoing allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (alloHSCT) are at risk of developing invasive fungal infections (IFIs). Even with introduction of oral triazole antifungal agents (fluconazole, itraconazole, posaconazole and voriconazole) IFI-associated morbidity and mortality rates and economic burden remain high. Despite their proven efficacy, it is currently unknown which is the most cost-effective antifungal prophylaxis (AFP) agent. To determine the costs and outcomes associated with AFP, a decision-analytic model was used to simulate treatment in a hypothetical cohort of 1000 patients undergoing alloHSCT from the perspective of the Spanish National Health System. Generic itraconazole was the least costly AFP (€162) relative to fluconazole (€500), posaconazole oral suspension (€8628) or voriconazole (€6850). Compared with posaconazole, voriconazole was associated with the lowest number of breakthrough IFIs (36 vs 60); thus, the model predicted fewer deaths from breakthrough IFI for voriconazole (24) than posaconazole (33), and the lowest predicted costs associated with other licensed antifungal treatment and IFI treatment in a cohort of 1000. Voriconazole resulted in cost savings of €4707 per patient compared with posaconazole. Itraconazole demonstrated a high probability of being cost-effective. As primary AFP in alloHSCT patients 180 days posttransplant, voriconazole was more likely to be cost-effective than posaconazole regarding cost per additional IFI and additional death avoided.

Economic and Humanistic Burden of Moderate and Severe Hemophilia A and B in Spain: Real-World Evidence Insights from the CHESS II Study.

Background: Hemophilia is a congenital disorder characterized by deficiency or absence of clotting factor VIII in hemophilia A (HA) or clotting factor IX in hemophilia B (HB), resulting in frequent, repeated, and prolonged spontaneous or traumatic bleeding into joints or soft tissue. Severity is classified by the patient's baseline level of clotting factor activity as mild (>5%-40%), moderate (1%-5%), or severe (<1%). In Spain, there is limited information on the societal economic burden of disease. Objective: To estimate the economic and humanistic burden of disease in adult patients with non-inhibitor moderate and severe HA and HB in Spain. Methods: Spanish data from the CHESS II study (2018-2020) on patients' clinical characteristics, health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and hemophilia-related healthcare resource utilization were analyzed. Economic burden was determined by estimating condition-related annual per-patient direct (medical and nonmedical) and indirect costs, stratified according to hemophilia type and severity and presented as 2022 Euros. HRQoL was assessed via the EQ-5D-5L. Results: Of 341 patients in the Spanish CHESS II cohort, 288 patients met the inclusion criteria: 181 had HA (37% [n = 66] moderate and 63% [n=115] severe) and 107 had HB (26% [n = 28] moderate and 74% [n = 79] severe). Mean annual direct cost was higher in HB than in HA, and higher in severe than in moderate patients, resulting in an annual cost/patient of €17 251 (moderate HA), €17 796 (moderate HB), €116 767 (severe HA) and €206 996 (severe HB). The main direct cost component in all groups except moderate HA was factor replacement therapy. Mean per-patient indirect cost was €4089 (moderate HA), €797 (moderate HB), €8633 (severe HA) and €8049 (severe HB). Finally, the mean total cost (direct and indirect) for moderate and severe patients were €91 017 (HA) and €163 924 (HB). EQ-5D-5L [SD] scores were lower in patients with severe HA (0.77 [0.18]) and severe HB (0.70 [0.22]) compared with patients with moderate HA (0.81 [0.15]) and moderate HB (0.86 [0.17]). Conclusions: Independently of the type of hemophilia, greater condition severity was associated with increased costs and a decrease in HRQoL.

Real-World Health Care Outcomes and Costs Among Patients With Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis in Spain.

Background: Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is the most frequent chronic rheumatic disease in children. If inflammation is not adequately treated, joint damage, long-term disability, and active disease during adulthood can occur. Identifying and implementing early and adequate therapy are critical for improving clinical outcomes. The burden of JIA on affected children, their families, and the healthcare system in Spain has not been adequately assessed. The greatest contribution to direct costs is medication, but other expenses contribute to the consumption of resources, negatively impacting healthcare cost and the economic conditions of affected families. Objective: To assess the direct healthcare, indirect resource utilization, and associated cost of moderate-to-severe JIA in children in routine clinical practice in Spain. Methods: Children were enrolled in this 24-month observational, multicentric, cross-sectional, retrospective study (N = 107) if they had been treated with biologic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (bDMARDs), had participated in a previous study (ITACA), and continued to be followed up at pediatric rheumatology units at 3 tertiary Spanish hospitals. Direct costs included medication, specialist and primary care visits, hospitalizations, emergency visits or consultations, surgeries, physiotherapy, and tests. Indirect costs included hospital travel expenses and loss of caregiver working hours. Unitary costs were obtained from official sources (€, 2020). Results: Overall, children had inactive disease/low disease activity according to JADAS-71 score and very low functional disability as measured by Childhood Health Assessment Questionnaire score. Up to 94.4% of children received treatment, mainly with bDMARDs as monotherapy (84.5%). Among anti-TNFα treatments, adalimumab (47.4%) and etanercept (40.2%) were used in similar proportions. Annual mean (SD) total JIA cost was €7516.40 (€5627.30). Average cost of pharmacological treatment was €3021.80 (€3956.20), mainly due to biologic therapy €2789.00 (€3399.80). Direct annual cost (excluding treatments) was €3654.60 (€3899.00). Indirect JIA cost per family was €747.20 (€1452.80). Conclusion: JIA causes significant costs to the Spanish healthcare system and affected families. Public costs are partly due to the high cost of biologic treatments, which nevertheless remain an effective long-term treatment, maintaining inactive disease/low disease activity state; a very low functional disability score; and a good quality of life.

Ceftaroline Fosamil for the Empiric Treatment of Hospitalized Adults with cSSTI: An Economic Analysis from the Perspective of the Spanish National Health System.

Purpose: Complicated skin and soft tissue infections (cSSTI) are associated with high healthcare resource use and costs. The emergency nature of cSSTI hospitalizations requires starting immediate empiric intravenous (IV) antibiotic treatment, making the appropriate choice of initial antibiotic therapy crucial. Patients and Methods: The use of ceftaroline fosamil (CFT) as an alternative to other IV antibiotic therapies for the empiric treatment of hospitalized adults with cSSTI (vancomycin, linezolid, daptomycin, cloxacillin, tedizolid) was evaluated through cost consequences analysis. The model structure was a decision tree accounting for four different pathways: patients demonstrating early response (ER) either discharged early (with oral antibiotic) or remaining in hospital to continue the initial therapy; non-responders either remaining on the initial IV therapy or switching to a second-line antibiotic. The model perspective was the Spanish National Health System. Results: CFT resulted in average percentage of patients discharged early (PDE) of 24.6% (CI 19.49-30.2%) with average total cost per patient of €6763 (€6268-€7219). Vancomycin, linezolid, daptomycin and tedizolid resulted in average PDE of 22% (17.34-27.09%), 26.4% (20.5-32.32%), 28.6% (22.08-35.79%) and 26.5% (20.39-33.25%), respectively, for a total cost per patient of €6,619 (€5,902-€6,929), €6,394 (€5,881-€6,904), €6,855 (€5,800-€7,410) and €7,173 (€6,608-€7,763), respectively. Key model drivers were ER and antibiotic treatment duration, with hospital costs accounting for over 83% of the total expenditures. Conclusion: Given its clinical and safety profile, CFT is an acceptable choice for cSSTI empiric therapy providing comparable ER and costs to other relevant antibiotic options.

Cost-effectiveness analysis of using innovative therapies for the management of moderate-to-severe ulcerative colitis in Spain.

BACKGROUND: To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of tofacitinib in comparison to vedolizumab for the treatment of moderate-to-severe ulcerative colitis (UC) after failure or intolerance to conventional therapy (bio-naive) or first-line biologic treatment (bio-experienced), from the Spanish National Health System (NHS) perspective. METHODS: A lifetime Markov model with eight-week cycles was developed including five health states: remission, response, active UC, remission after surgery, and death. Response and remission probabilities (for induction and maintenance periods) were obtained from a multinomial network meta-analysis. Drug acquisition - biosimilar prices included - (ex-factory price with mandatory deductions), administration, surgery, patient management, and adverse event management costs (€, year 2019) were considered. A 3% discount rate (cost/outcomes) was applied. Probabilistic and deterministic sensitivity analyses (PSA) were conducted. RESULTS: Tofacitinib was dominant versus vedolizumab (both in bio-naive and bio-experienced patients) entailing total cost savings of €23,816 (bio-naïve) and €11,438 (bio-experienced). Differences in quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) were smaller than 0.1 for both populations. PSA results showed that tofacitinib has a high probability of being cost-effective (bio-naïve: 82.5%; bio-experienced: 90.6%) versus vedolizumab. CONCLUSIONS: From the Spanish NHS perspective, tofacitinib could be a dominant treatment (less costly and more effective) in comparison to vedolizumab, with relevant cost savings and similar QALY gains.

Cost of patients with hemophilia A treated with standard half-life or extended half-life FVIII in Spain.

BACKGROUND: In a real-world analysis (RWA) conducted in the United States (US), median international units (IUs) of extended half-life (EHL) recombinant coagulation factor VIII (rFVIII) dispensed were 10% to 45% greater than standard half-life (SHL) rFVIII. The mean IUs of each rFVIII dispensed quarterly were obtained from two databases (N = 776). METHODS: A probabilistic model in a 1-year time horizon was used in order to analyze the cost comparison of SHL and EHL rFVIII products in Spain. In this analysis, mean IUs were those of the RWA, and frequency of use and prices for each rFVIII were obtained from sales estimates based on Spanish sources (IQVIA; €, 2019). RESULTS: Data showed an average annual savings per patient of €11,227 for SHL rFVIII versus EHL rFVIII products, with a savings probability of 75.5%. The results were stable in the sensitivity analyses. Not switching treatment from SHL to EHL rFVIII resulted in greater savings per patient (€53,078), with a savings probability of 99.9%. Considering the frequency of rFVIII dispensation in the US, annual savings per patient would increase to €16,350 in Spain, with a savings probability of 79.9%. CONCLUSIONS: According to this model, use of SHL rFVIII versus EHL rFVIII products could lead to savings for the Spanish National Health System.

Estimating the annual economic burden for the management of patients with transthyretin amyloid polyneuropathy in Spain.

Background: Transthyretin amyloid polyneuropathy (ATTR-PN) is a fatal disease associated with substantial burden of illness. Three therapies are approved by the European Medicines Agency for the management of this rare disease. The aim of this study was to compare the total annual treatment specific cost per-patient associated with ATTR-PN in Spain.Methods: An Excel-based patient burden and cost estimator tool was developed to itemize direct and indirect costs related to treatment with inotersen, patisiran, and tafamidis in the context of ATTR-PN. The product labels and feedback from five Spanish ATTR-PN experts were used to inform resource use and cost inputs.Results: Marked differences in costs were observed between the three therapies. The need for patisiran- and inotersen-treated patients to visit hospitals for pre-treatment, administration, and monitoring was associated with increased patient burden and costs compared to those treated with tafamidis. Drug acquisition costs per-patient per-year were 291,076€ (inotersen), 427,250€ (patisiran) and 129,737€ (tafamidis) and accounted for the majority of total costs. Overall, the total annual per-patient costs were lowest for patients treated with tafamidis (137,954€), followed by inotersen (308,358€), and patisiran (458,771€).Conclusions: Treating patients with tafamidis leads to substantially lower costs and patient burden than with inotersen or patisiran.

Health and economic impact of the correct diagnosis of transthyretin cardiac amyloidosis in Spain.

Objective: To estimate the health and economic impact of the reduction in mortality and cardiovascular hospitalizations, associated with correct diagnosis of cardiac transthyretin amyloidosis (ATTR-CM), from the Spanish National Health System (NHS) perspective.Methods: A costs and effects analysis were performed (probabilistic Markov model) with time horizons between 1 and 15 years, comparing the correct diagnosis of ATTR-CM versus the non-diagnosis. Transition probabilities were obtained from the ATTR-ACT study (placebo arm) and from the literature. Costs and healthcare resources were obtained from Spanish sources (€ 2019) and from a panel of Spanish clinical experts.Results: After 1, 5, 10 and 15 years, the diagnosis of ATTR-CM would generate a gain of 0.031 (95%CI 0.025; 0.038); 0.387 (95%CI 0.329; 0.435); 0.754 (95%CI 0.678; 0.781) and 0.944 (95%CI 0.905; 0.983) life years per patient, respectively, with savings of € 212 (95%CI € -632; 633), € 2,289 (95%CI € 2,250; 2,517), € 2,859 (95%CI € 2,584; 3,149) and € 2,906 (95%CI € 2,669; 3,450) per patient, respectively, versus the non-diagnosis.Conclusions: Just by correctly diagnosing ATTR-CM, years of life would be gained, cardiovascular hospitalizations would be avoided, and savings would be generated for the NHS, compared to the non-diagnosis of the disease.

Cost-effectiveness analysis of second-line pharmacological treatment of acromegaly in Spain.

Objective: To estimate the cost-effectiveness of second-line pharmacological treatments in patients with acromegaly resistant to first-generation somatostatin analogues (FG SSA) from the Spanish National Health System (NHS) perspective.Methods: A Markov model was developed to analyze the cost-effectiveness of pegvisomant and pasireotide in FG SSA-resistant acromegaly, simulating a cohort of patients from the treatment beginning to death. Treatment with pegvisomant or pasireotide was compared to FG SSA retreatment. Efficacy data were obtained from clinical trials and utilities from the literature. Direct health costs were obtained from Spanish sources (€2018).Results: The Incremental Cost Effectiveness Ratio (ICER) of pegvisomant vs. FG SSA was €85,869/Quality-adjusted life years (QALY). The ICER of pasireotide vs. FG SSA was €551,405/QALY. The ICER was mainly driven by the incremental efficacy (4.41 QALY for pegvisomant vs. FG SSA and 0.71 QALY for pasireotide vs. FG SSA), with a slightly lower increase in costs with pegvisomant (€378,597 vs. FG SSA) than with pasireotide (€393,151 vs. FG SSA).Conclusion: The ICER of pasireotide compared to FG SSA was six times higher than the ICER of pegvisomant vs. FG SSA. Pegvisomant is a more cost-effective alternative for the treatment of acromegaly in FG SSA-resistant patients in the Spanish NHS.

Economic analysis of ceftaroline fosamil for treating community-acquired pneumonia in Spain.

Background: Adults admitted to hospital with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) impose significant burden upon limited hospital resources. To achieve early response and possibly early discharge, thus reducing hospital expenditure, the choice of initial antibiotic therapy is pivotal.Methods: A cost-consequences model was developed to evaluate ceftaroline fosamil (CFT) as an alternative to other antibiotic therapies (ceftriaxone, co-amoxiclav, moxifloxacin, levofloxacin) for the empiric treatment of hospitalized adults with moderate/severe CAP (PORT score III-IV) from the perspective of the Spanish National Health System (NHS).Findings: Compared with ceftriaxone, the model predicted an increase in the number of CFT-treated patients discharged early (PDE) (30.6% vs. 26.1%) while decreasing initial antibiotic failures (3.8% vs. 7.6%). For patients with pneumococcal pneumonia, CFT was cost-saving vs. ceftriaxone (by 1.2%) and significantly increased PDE (32.1% vs. 24.6%). CFT resulted in cost-saving vs. levofloxacin, due lower initial antibiotic therapy costs and increased PDE (30.6% vs. 14.9%). Moxifloxacin and co-amoxiclav early response rate of 53.63% and 54.24% resulted in cost neutrality vs. CFT, with direct comparison hampered by the significantly different early response criteria utilized in the literature.Conclusions: Despite a higher unit cost, CFT is a reasonable alternative to other agents for adults hospitalized with moderate/severe CAP, given the projected higher PDE achieved with similar or lower total costs.

Economic Impact of Etanercept in Patients with Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis in Spain: A Systematic Review.

INTRODUCTION: Etanercept (ETN), a highly effective biological agent for the treatment of psoriasis (PSO) and psoriatic arthritis (PsA), is widely used in Spain. However, evidence of its economic impact is limited, indicating the need for a systematic review of the economic assessments conducted on the use of ETN in the treatment of both PSO and PsA in Spain. METHODS: A systematic review was carried out in PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Health Technology Assessment reports and not indexed sources up to November 2018. The inclusion criteria were economic evaluations (total and partial) and dose optimization studies published in English or Spanish on the use of ETN to treat PSO and PsA for ETN in Spain. RESULTS: A total of 402 publications were identified, of which 32 were selected for inclusion in the review; of these 32 publications, 81.3% analyzed PSO (14 full economic evaluations, 5 partial economic evaluations and 7 dose optimization studies) and 18.8% analyzed PsA (1 economic analysis and 5 dose optimization studies). The perspective of the Spanish National Health Service (NHS) was used in 90.0% (n = 18) of the full and partial economic evaluations. The time horizons ranged from 12 weeks to 2 years. Reductions in the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) of 50, 75 and 90% (PASI 50, 75 and 90, respectively) were most commonly used as efficacy outcomes in the complete evaluations. The economic impact of ETN ranged from €9110-14,337/PASI 75 at 12 weeks (50 mg/week) to €82,279/PASI 90 at 2 years, depending on the health outcome, time horizon and ETN dose used. Only one study determined the cost of using ETN for the treatment of PSO (€29,430-52,367/QALY for dose 2 × 25 mg/week or 50 mg/week, respectively). Only one partial economic evaluation on PSA was identified (NHS perspective), resulting in an ETN annual cost of €8585/patient-year. CONCLUSION: Consistent evidence on the economic impact of ETN for the treatment of PSO and PSA in Spain is lacking, mainly due to the highly heterogeneous methodology used and the broad range of outcomes found in the economic evaluations published to date. FUNDING: Pfizer S.L.U.

Burden of diabetes mellitus in patients with acromegaly treated with second-line pharmacotherapy in Spain.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the burden of diabetes mellitus (DM) in adult patients with acromegaly treated with second-line pharmacotherapy, from the perspective of the Spanish National Health System (NHS). METHODS: A Markov model was developed including three states: normal glucose metabolism, DM and death. The evolution of a hypothetical cohort of acromegaly patients requiring second-line pharmacological treatment (pegvisomant or pasireotide) after first generation somatostatin analogues therapy was analyzed. Direct healthcare costs regarding acromegaly management, diabetes management and drugs costs were obtained from Spanish sources. Transition probabilities between health states were obtained from published studies. Deterministic and probabilistic sensitivity analyses were undertaken. RESULTS: Compared to pasireotide, pegvisomant increased the likelihood of glucose normalization and reduced the likelihood of DM. Consequently, in a cohort of 1,000 patients with acromegaly, treatment with pegvisomant compared to pasireotide would prevent 243, 413 and 453 cases of DM after 1, 2 and 5 years, respectively, and would reduce mortality by 0.1% after 5 years of treatment. This would result in 1 million euros savings for the NHS in 5 years. These health benefits would be obtained with savings of €1,512, €3,422 and €10,162 per patient treated with pegvisomant, after 1, 2 and 5 years, respectively. After 5 years of treatment, the probability that pegvisomant generated savings versus pasireotide would be 65.3%. CONCLUSION: The favorable effects of pegvisomant on glucose metabolism would allow a considerable number of cases of DM to be avoided compared to pasireotide, resulting in savings for the NHS in Spain.

Cost-effectiveness analysis of combination antifungal therapy with voriconazole and anidulafungin versus voriconazole monotherapy for primary treatment of invasive aspergillosis in Spain.

OBJECTIVE: According to a recent randomized, double-blind clinical trial comparing the combination of voriconazole and anidulafungin (VOR+ANI) with VOR monotherapy for invasive aspergillosis (IA) in patients with hematologic disease or with hematopoietic stem cell transplant, mortality was lower after 6 weeks with VOR+ANI than with VOR monotherapy in a post hoc analysis of patients with galactomannan-based IA. The objective of this study was to compare the cost-effectiveness of VOR+ANI with VOR, from the perspective of hospitals in the Spanish National Health System. METHODS: An economic model with deterministic and probabilistic analyses was used to determine costs per life-year gained (LYG) for VOR+ANI versus VOR in patients with galactomannan-based IA. Mortality, adverse event rates, and life expectancy were obtained from clinical trial data. The costs (in 2015 euros [€]) of the drugs and the adverse event-related costs were obtained from Spanish sources. A Tornado plot and a Monte Carlo simulation (1,000 iterations) were used to assess uncertainty of all model variables. RESULTS: According to the deterministic analysis, for each patient treated with VOR+ANI compared with VOR monotherapy, there would be a total of 0.348 LYG (2.529 vs 2.181 years, respectively) at an incremental cost of €5,493 (€17,902 vs €12,409, respectively). Consequently, the additional cost per LYG with VOR+ANI compared with VOR would be €15,785. Deterministic sensitivity analyses confirmed the robustness of these findings. In the probabilistic analysis, the cost per LYG with VOR+ANI was €15,774 (95% confidence interval: €15,763-16,692). The probability of VOR+ANI being cost-effective compared with VOR was estimated at 82.5% and 91.9%, based on local cost-effectiveness thresholds of €30,000 and €45,000, respectively. CONCLUSION: According to the present economic study, combination therapy with VOR+ANI is cost-effective as primary therapy of IA in galactomannan-positive patients in Spain who have hematologic disease or hematopoietic stem cell transplant, compared with VOR monotherapy.

Cost-effectiveness analysis of fesoterodine flexible dose in newly diagnosed patients with overactive bladder in routine clinical practice in Spain.

OBJECTIVE: To carry out cost-effectiveness analysis from the Spanish National Health System perspective, of treating overactive bladder (OAB), in newly diagnosed patients with two flexible doses of fesoterodine in routine clinical practice. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Economic evaluation of flexible-dose fesoterodine in newly diagnosed patients, including two treatment groups: standard escalating from 4 to 8 mg or fast escalating to 8 mg. Costs were estimated from health care resources utilization related to OAB, and were expressed in 2015 Euros. Quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) were obtained from overactive bladder questionnaire-short form. Univariate and probabilistic sensitivity analyses were carried out. RESULTS: Three hundred and ninety symptomatic OAB patients treated with fesoterodine and newly diagnosed (141 in fast escalating group and 249 in standard escalating) were analyzed. Adjusted health care total costs were not statistically different; difference -€4.1 (confidence interval: -153.3; 25.1) P=0.842. QALYs were higher in fast escalating to high dose vs standard escalating group, resulting in a cost of -€16,020/QALY gained for fast escalating vs standard escalating group. CONCLUSION: When the cost-effectiveness threshold is set at a maximum value of €30,000/QALY gained, fesoterodine fast escalating group was cost-effective vs standard escalating group 67.6% of the time. The treatment with fesoterodine, in female patients newly diagnosed, fast escalating to 8 mg was a cost-effective option relative to escalating traditionally from 4 to 8 mg, in the management of OAB in routine clinical practice, from the Spanish National Health System perspective.

Cost Analysis of the Use of Voriconazole, Posaconazole and Micafungin in the Primary Prophylaxis of Invasive Fungal Infections in Recipients of Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplants.

Objectives: Compare the cost of the primary prophylaxis of invasive fungal infections (IFI) with voriconazole, posaconazole, and micafungin in patients undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) in hospitals of the National Health System (NHS) in Spain. Methods: A cost analysis was made for 100 days and 180 days of prophylaxis and a decision tree model was developed. The efficacy rate of IFI prophylaxis and survival rate with liposomal amphotericin B treatment of prophylaxis failures were obtained from randomized trials and a meta-analysis of mixed treatment comparisons. The model simulation was interrupted with IFI treatment (prophylaxis failures). The costs of medication and its intravenous administration in the hospital (in the case of micafungin) were considered. Results: In the non-modeled analysis, the savings per patient of prophylaxis with voriconazole ranged from €1,709 to €9,655 compared with posaconazole oral solution, from €1,811 to €9,767 compared with posaconazole gastro-resistant tablets and from €3,376 to €7,713 compared with micafungin. In the modeled analysis, the mean cost per patient of the prophylaxis and treatment of IFIs was €6,987 to €7,619 with voriconazole, €7,749 with posaconazole, and €22,424 with micafungin. Therefore, the savings per patient of prophylaxis with voriconazole was €130 to €3,664 and €11,132 to €30,374 compared with posaconazole and micafungin, respectively. The result remained stable after modification of the number of days of antifungal prophylaxis and the cost of antifungal treatment of failures. Conclusion: Taking into account this model, antifungal prophylaxis with voriconazole in recipients of hematopoietic progenitor transplants, compared with posaconazole or micafungin, may represent savings for hospitals in Spain.

Anaphylaxis caused by cloxacillin: diagnosis with seriated analysis by way of basophil activation test.

We report a case of anaphylaxis caused by cloxacillin in a 13-year-old patient. The basophil activation test, performed 25 days after the anaphylactic reaction, was positive to cloxacillin, amoxicillin, and penicillin G and negative to ibuprofen, tolerated by the patient. The analysis was performed 17 days after the reaction was not conclusive because 74% of the basophil population was activated in basal conditions. The abnormally high activation was similar to that found in an analysis before the reaction, exactly 4 days after finishing a well-tolerated treatment with amoxicillin. This first analysis was available because a patient's sample was taken from the emergency laboratory as a blind control for a study to assess the basophil activation test reliability in diagnosis of hypersensitivity to NSAIDs. The high number of activated basophils in basal conditions after treatment with amoxicillin and before the anaphylactic reaction to cloxacillin probably reflects the beginning of the sensitization. Until now, no cases of hypersensitivity to cloxacillin have been diagnosed by means of the basophil activation test.