Overall and complete response rates as potential surrogates for overall survival in relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma.

Aim: The correlation between response and survival has not been well-studied in relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM). Materials & methods: A systematic literature review of Medline, Embase and Cochrane databases (2010-06/2020) and relevant congresses (2018-2020) was performed to identify randomized clinical trials in RRMM reporting median overall survival (mOS), progression-free survival and response end points. The relationship between mOS and response end points was analyzed using Pearson's product-moment correlation. Results: A total of 81 records for 65 original studies, representing 12,827 patients were included. The correlation was moderate for mOS with overall response rate (Pearson r = 0.79), very good partial response (r = 0.73) and duration of response (r = 0.78); all were statistically significant. In linear regression models, estimated mOS gain was 0.48, 0.47 and 1.94 months per percentage point of overall response rate, very good partial response and complete response, respectively (all p < 0.001). Significance was maintained after adjustment for age, relapsed versus refractory multiple myeloma and study year. The analysis was limited by small sample sizes and inconsistent reporting of study-level covariates. Conclusion: These findings support short-term response-based end points as surrogates to survival in RRMM.

Treatments for multiple myeloma may not work for every patient and the cancer may come back. In clinical trials, it is difficult to find out how well new treatments work in allowing patients to live longer. This is especially true when patients have advanced disease that has returned or has not responded to treatment. How well a patient responds to treatment (i.e., has a decreased extent of disease) could indicate whether the drug will help the patient live longer, but the relationship between response to treatment and survival is not fully understood. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to better understand how response rates and survival are related. A systematic review collects all the published research on a specific subject, and a meta-analysis is a statistical method that creates a single finding from several separate studies. This study found a moderate relationship between how long patients live after receiving treatment for multiple myeloma and their response to treatment. This would allow response-to-treatment data from clinical trials to be used to predict better survival and show the drug can help patients.

Real-world evidence in lung and hematologic oncology health technology appraisals: a review of six assessment agencies.

Aim: To assess the use and acceptability of real-world evidence (RWE) in lung and hematologic cancer appraisals. Materials & methods: A review of appraisals published by National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) in the UK was conducted. A total of 20 case studies employing RWE were identified and compared across five additional health technology assessment agencies: Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) (Scotland), CADTH (Canada), INESSS (Quebec), HAS (France) and IQWiG (Germany). Results: Of 80 RWE references from 20 case studies from NICE, 67 were identified in the respective CADTH submissions, 46 in IQWiG, 37 in INESSS, 37 in HAS, and 33 in SMC. NICE had the highest RWE acceptance rate (90%), followed by HAS (88%), SMC (82%), INESSS (73%), IQWiG (68%) and CADTH (67%). Conclusion: RWE was generally accepted by respective committees, allowing improved access to innovative treatments.

Use of real-world evidence for assessing the value of cancer treatments Health technology assessment (HTA) is a process used to decide whether a drug works well enough to be worth paying for. Most drugs have data showing how well they work from special studies called clinical trials. Sometimes a manufacturer also has evidence of a drug or disease that is not from a clinical trial but from the real world. This review discusses how real-world evidence (RWE) is being used for HTAs of new lung and blood cancer therapies. We reviewed twenty HTA submissions for new therapies. All twenty were submitted to these agencies: National Institute for HealthCare and Excellence (NICE; UK), Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC; Scotland), Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health (CADTH; Canada), National Institute of Excellence in Health and Social Services (INESSS; Quebec), French National Authority for Health (HAS; France) and Institute for Quality and Efficiency in HealthCare (IQWiG; Germany). RWE was often used to describe the type of patient that needs the new therapy. RWE was also used to show the cost of the treatment and how well the treatment worked in relation to its cost. It was also used to show how well the new therapy works compared with other treatments. Most of the RWE was accepted by the agencies. High-quality RWE in relevant patients helped support access to new treatments.

Cost-effectiveness analysis for midostaurin versus standard of care in acute myeloid leukemia in the United Kingdom.

AIMS: Midostaurin (MIDO) has been proposed for the treatment of newly-diagnosed adult patients with FMS-like tyrosine kinase 3 mutation-positive (FLT3+) acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in combination with standard chemotherapy. The cost-effectiveness of MIDO and standard of care (SOC) followed by MIDO monotherapy was compared to SOC alone for newly-diagnosed FLT3+ AML in the UK. METHODS: A partitioned survival model was developed from a UK public healthcare system perspective to compare the cost-effectiveness of MIDO plus SOC and SOC over a lifetime horizon. The model included the following health states/partitions: induction, consolidation, monotherapy, complete remission (CR), relapse, stem cell transplantation (SCT), SCT recovery, and post-SCT recovery. Data on CR, overall survival, and adverse events were obtained from a Phase III clinical trial. Overall survival was extrapolated beyond the trial horizon using a 'cure model' approach and data from the Office for National Statistics. Utilities were identified via a systematic review. Routine care utilization was obtained from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence single technology appraisal for azacitidine in AML (TA399). The costs of drugs and administration, adverse events, hospitalizations, physician visits, and end-of-life care were incorporated. RESULTS: Incremental life years (LYs) and quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) gained by patients on MIDO and SOC versus SOC were 1.67 and 1.47, respectively. At an incremental cost of £54,072 over a lifetime horizon, the ICER was £32,465 per LY and £36,826 per QALY. Sensitivity analyses were generally consistent with the base case findings. CONCLUSIONS: With limited treatments in FLT3+ AML, MIDO represents a clinically significant advance in the management of newly-diagnosed AML. Using a threshold of £50,000 per QALY for end-of-life treatment, MIDO was shown to be a cost-effective option for newly-diagnosed FLT3+ AML.

Understanding the burden of idiopathic generalized epilepsy in the United States, Europe, and Brazil: An analysis from the National Health and Wellness Survey.

The aim of this study was to understand the current burden of primary generalized tonic-clonic seizures (PGTCS) associated with idiopathic generalized epilepsy (IGE) as a function of seizure frequency. We analyzed data for (IGE) as a proxy measure of PGTCS. Little is known about the quality of life (QoL), health utility, productivity, healthcare resource utilization (HRU), and cost burden of PGTCS or IGE. Patients were identified from the US (2011, 2012, & 2013), 5EU (2011 & 2013), and Brazil (2011 & 2012) National Health and Wellness Survey, a nationally representative, internet-based survey of adults (18+ years). Patients that self-reported a diagnosis of IGE were categorized into seizure frequencies of: ≥1 seizure per week, 1-3 seizures per month, 1-4 seizures per year, or <1 seizure per year. QoL was measured using the SF-36v2 Mental (MCS) and Physical Component Summary (PCS) scores, health utilities with the SF-6D, productivity with the Work Productivity and Activity Impairment (WPAI) questionnaire, and HRU as reported in the past six months. Unit costs were estimated from the literature and multiplied against HRU values to calculate direct costs and WPAI values to calculate indirect costs. Generalized linear regression was utilized to examine the relationship between seizure frequency and each measure of burden with adjustment for covariates. Out of the general population surveyed, IGE was self-reported in 782 of 176,093 (US), 172 of 30,000 (UK), 106 of 30,001 (Germany), 87 of 30,000 (France), 31 of 12,011 (Spain), 22 of 17,500 (Italy), and 34 of 24,000 (Brazil). Persistent seizures (≥1 per year) were reported in over 40% of patients with IGE (10-15% with ≥1 seizure per week, 10-15% with 1-3 seizures per month, 20-25% with 1-4 seizures per year). Over 75% were treated with antiepileptic drugs (AEDs). Compared with those having <1 seizure per year (reference group), patients in the two most frequent seizure categories reported worse MCS and PCS scores. Patients in the three highest seizure frequency groups consistently reported worse health utility scores, and greater presenteeism (attending work while not physically or mentally capable of working), overall work impairment, activity impairment, HRU, indirect costs, and direct costs than the reference group. Despite the availability of AEDs during the year surveyed, a substantial number of patients experienced persistent seizures. Increasing seizure frequency was clearly associated with worse outcomes. The burden of PGTCS and IGE may be proportionally reduced by newer AEDs which may increase the proportion of seizure-free patients or shift more patients into lower seizure frequency categories.

The changing use of pediatric CT in Australia.

BACKGROUND: Despite the medical benefits of CT, there are concerns about increased cancer risks following CT scans in childhood. OBJECTIVE: To assess Australian temporal trends in pediatric CT scans funded through Medicare over the period 1985 to 2005, as well as changes in the types of CT scanners used. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We studied de-identified electronic records of Medicare-funded services, including CT scans, that were available for children and adults younger than 20 years between 1985 and 2005. We assessed temporal trends using CT imaging rates by age, gender and anatomical region. Regulators provided CT scanner registration lists to identify new models installed in Australia and to date the introduction of new technologies. RESULTS: Between 1985 and 2005, 896,306 Medicare-funded CT services were performed on 688,260 individuals younger than 20 years. The imaging rate more than doubled during that time period. There were more than 1,000 CT scanners on registration lists during the study period. There were both a sharp increase in the availability of helical scanning capabilities from 1994 and significant growth in multi-detector CT scanners from 2000. CONCLUSION: Significant increases in the rate of pediatric CT scanning have occurred in Australia. This rate has stabilized since 2000, possibly a result of better understanding of cancer risks.

Health-related quality of life in patients with locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer treated with eribulin mesylate or capecitabine in an open-label randomized phase 3 trial.

The clinical benefit of eribulin versus capecitabine was evaluated using health-related quality of life (HRQoL) data from a phase 3 randomized trial in patients with pretreated advanced/metastatic breast cancer (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00337103). The study population has been described previously (Kaufman et al. in J Clin Oncol 33:594-601, 2015). Eligible patients received eribulin (1.4 mg/m(2) intravenously on days 1 and 8) or capecitabine (1.25 g/m(2) orally twice daily on days 1-14) per 21-day cycles. HRQoL was assessed using the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Quality-of-life Questionnaire-Core 30 questions (QLQ-C30) and breast module-23 questions (QLQ-BR23), administered at baseline through 24 months, until disease progression or other antitumor treatment initiation. Minimally important difference (MID) and time to symptom worsening (TSW) were investigated. 1062 (96.4 %) Patients completed the EORTC questionnaire at baseline; overall, compliance was ≥80 %. Patients receiving capecitabine versus eribulin had significantly worse symptoms (higher scores) for nausea/vomiting (MID 8; P < 0.05) and diarrhea (MID 7; P < 0.05). Treatment with eribulin versus capecitabine, led to worse systemic therapy side-effects (dry mouth, different tastes, irritated eyes, feeling ill, hot flushes, headaches, and hair loss; MID 10; P < 0.01). Clinically meaningful worsening was observed for future perspective (MID 10; P < 0.05) with capecitabine and for systemic therapy side-effects scale (MID 10; P < 0.01) with eribulin. Patients receiving capecitabine experienced more-rapid deterioration in body image (by 2.9 months) and future perspective (by 1.4 months; P < 0.05) compared with those on eribulin; the opposite was observed for systemic side-effects where patients receiving eribulin experienced more-rapid deterioration than those receiving capecitabine (by 2 months; P < 0.05). Eribulin and capecitabine were found to have similar impact on patient functioning with no overall difference in HRQoL. Patients receiving eribulin reported worse systemic side-effects of chemotherapy but reduced gastrointestinal toxicity compared with capecitabine.

Comorbidity burden, healthcare resource utilization, and costs in chronic gout patients refractory to conventional urate-lowering therapy.

Patients with chronic gout refractory to conventional urate-lowering therapy have high rates of flares and incidence of tophi, which impose a significant disease and potentially economic burden. This study examined healthcare resource use and costs stratified by disease burden. Adult patients diagnosed with gout (ICD-9-CM:274.xx) and having had ≥3 flares defined by clinical surrogates within a 12-month period were selected for the case cohort from the Thomson MarketScan databases (2003/Q3-2008/Q3). Only patients who had received allopurinol treatment and a diagnosis of tophi (ICD-9-CM:274.8x) at any time before the first flare (index date) or within 12 months postindex were included and were matched in a 1:1 ratio with control gout-free subjects. The comorbidity burden, healthcare resource use, and annual healthcare costs (2008 US$) in the 12-month postindex period were compared between both cohorts using regression models adjusted for demographic characteristic and stratified for patients with ≥6 flares. A total of 679 gout patients met the inclusion criteria for the study and had a higher prevalence of comorbidities than their matched controls. Gout cohort had a significantly higher incidence of emergency room, hospitalizations, outpatient visits, and other medical services than did their matched controls (all comparisons, uncorrected P < 0.01). After adjusting for baseline characteristics, the refractory gout cohort incurred an incremental total annual healthcare cost of $10,222 where 40% of the annual medical cost was for gout-related care compared with control cohort (P < 0.01). Patients with refractory gout have a significant economic burden compared with a gout-free population.

Tophi and frequent gout flares are associated with impairments to quality of life, productivity, and increased healthcare resource use: Results from a cross-sectional survey.

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of gout is increasing, and most research on the associated burden has focused on serum urate (sUA) levels. The present study quantifies the impact of the presence of tophi and frequency of acute gout attacks on health-related quality of life (HRQOL), productivity, and healthcare resource utilization. METHODS: Patients with self-reported gout (n=620; 338 in US and 282 across France, Germany, and UK) were contacted based on inclusion in the 2010 US and EU National Health and Wellness Surveys (Kantar Health) and the Lightspeed Research ailment panel. Respondents were categorized into mutually-exclusive groups based on number of gout flares experienced in the past 12 months (0/don't recall, 1-2, 3, 4-5, 6+), current presence of tophi (none, 1+, or not sure), and sUA level awareness (yes, no). HRQOL (SF-12v2), healthcare provider visits in the last 6 months, and work productivity and activity impairment (WPAI) were compared across groups. RESULTS: Most patients were males, mean age of 61 years, who reported experiencing at least one acute gout flare in the past 12 months, and 12.3% (n=76) reported presence of tophi. Among the 27.7% (n=172) of patients who were aware of their sUA levels, higher sUA was associated with more flares and tophi. Decreased HRQOL was associated with more frequent flares and presence of tophi. In multivariable models predicting outcomes based on presence of tophi and number of flares, both flares (≥4) and tophi (≥1) were associated with HRQOL decrements on physical and mental component summary scores and health utilities (all p<0.05), after adjustment for age, gender, and time since diagnosis. Flares were also associated with greater activity impairment. CONCLUSIONS: Impairments associated with gout flares and presence of tophi, across patients in the US and EU, underscore the importance of effective management of this potentially curable condition.

Humanistic and Economic Burden of Conversion Therapy Among LGBTQ Youths in the United States.

IMPORTANCE: Sexual orientation and gender identity change efforts (SOGICE), also called conversion therapy, is a discredited practice attempting to convert lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning (LGBTQ) individuals to be heterosexual and/or cisgender. OBJECTIVES: To identify and synthesize evidence on the humanistic and economic consequences of SOGICE among LGBTQ youths in the US. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This study, conducted from December 1, 2020, to February 15, 2021, included a systematic literature review and economic evaluation. The literature review analyzed published evidence on SOGICE among LGBTQ individuals of any age. The economic model evaluated the use of SOGICE vs no intervention, affirmative therapy vs no intervention, and affirmative therapy vs SOGICE to estimate the costs and adverse outcomes for each scenario and to assess the overall US economic burden of SOGICE. Published literature and public sources were used to estimate the number of LGBTQ youths exposed to SOGICE, the types of therapy received, and the associated adverse events (anxiety, severe psychological distress, depression, alcohol or substance abuse, suicide attempts, and fatalities). EXPOSURES: SOGICE (licensed or religion-based practitioners) or affirmative therapy (licensed practitioners). MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Total incremental costs and quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) vs no intervention and total economic burden of SOGICE. RESULTS: Among 28 published studies, which included 190 695 LGBTQ individuals, 12% (range, 7%-23%) of youths experienced SOGICE, initiated at a mean age of 25 years (range, 5-58 years), with a mean (SD) duration of 26 (29) months. At least 2 types of SOGICE were administered to 43% of recipients. Relative to LGBTQ individuals who did not undergo SOGICE, recipients experienced serious psychological distress (47% vs 34%), depression (65% vs 27%), substance abuse (67% vs 50%), and attempted suicide (58% vs 39%). In the economic analysis, over a lifetime horizon with a 3% annual discount rate, the base-case model estimated additional $97 985 lifetime costs per individual, with SOGICE associated with 1.61 QALYs lost vs no intervention; affirmative therapy yielded cost savings of $40 329 with 0.93 QALYs gained vs no intervention. With an estimated 508 892 youths at risk for SOGICE in 2021, the total annual cost of SOGICE is estimated at $650.16 million (2021 US dollars), with associated harms totaling an economic burden of $9.23 billion. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: This economic evaluation study suggests that there is a high economic burden and high societal costs associated with SOGICE and identifies additional research questions regarding the roles of private and public funding in supporting this harmful practice.

Treatment Outcomes of High-Risk Non-Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer (HR-NMIBC) in Real-World Evidence (RWE) Studies: Systematic Literature Review (SLR).

BACKGROUND: To date, there has been limited synthesis of RWE studies in high-risk non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (HR-NMIBC). The objective of this research was to conduct a systematic review of published real-world evidence to better understand the real-world burden and treatment patterns in HR-NMIBC. METHODS: An SLR was conducted following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines with the scope defined by the Population, Intervention Comparators, Outcomes, and Study design (PICOS) criteria. EMBASE, MEDLINE, and Cochrane databases (Jan 2015-Jul 2020) were searched, and relevant congress abstracts (Jan 2018-Jul 2020) identified. The final analysis only included studies that enrolled ≥100 patients with HR-NMIBC from the US, Europe, Canada, and Australia. RESULTS: The SLR identified 634 RWE publications in NMIBC, of which 160 studies reported data in HR-NMIBC. The average age of patients in the studies was 71 years, and 79% were males. The rates of BCG intravesical instillations ranged from 3% to 86% (29-95% for induction and 8-83% for maintenance treatment). Five-year outcomes were 17-89% recurrence-free survival (longest survival in patients completing BCG maintenance), 58-89% progression-free survival, 71-96% cancer-specific survival (lowest survival in BCG-unresponsive patients), and 28-90% overall survival (lowest survival in patients who did not receive BCG or instillation therapy). CONCLUSION: BCG treatment rates and survival outcomes in patients with HR-NMIBC vary in the real world, with better survival seen in patients completing maintenance BCG, responding to treatment, and not progressing to muscle-invasive disease. There is a need to better understand the factors associated with BCG use and discontinuation and for an effective treatment that improves outcomes in HR-NMIBC. Generalization of these results is limited by variations in data collection, reporting, and methodologies used across RWE studies.

Non-small cell lung cancer with EGFR exon 20 insertion mutation: a systematic literature review and meta-analysis of patient outcomes.

INTRODUCTION: EGFR exon 20 insertion mutation-positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is rare, has a poor prognosis, and outcomes are not fully established. We describe and evaluate outcomes from real-world and clinical evidence in these patients. METHODS: A systematic literature review (SLR) identified interventional and real-world evidence (RWE) studies reporting clinical outcomes for EGFR exon 20 insertion mutation-positive NSCLC. Meta-analyses were conducted by line of therapy to synthesize pooled survival and response outcomes across RWE. Published evidence from interventional studies was summarized individually. RESULTS: The SLR identified 23 RWE and 19 original interventional studies. In the meta-analysis of RWE, pooled response and survival outcomes were low for first-line EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) and immuno-oncology (IO) agents. First-line chemotherapy resulted in a pooled ORR 25.7%, pooled PFS 5.6 months, and pooled OS 18.3 months. Pooled outcomes were further reduced in second or later lines (≥2 L): pooled ORR was 5.0%, 3.3%, and 13.9%; pooled PFS was 2.1 months, 2.3 months, and 4.4 months; and pooled OS was 14.1 months, 8.8 months, and 17.1 months (not a pooled result) for EGFR-TKIs, IO agents, and chemotherapy, respectively. Interventional studies reported outcomes for TKIs (mobocertinib, poziotinib, osimertinib, afatinib, CLN-081, DZD9008), a monoclonal antibody (amivantamab), and a heat shock protein 90 inhibitor (luminespib). While there is limited RWE for the recently approved agents mobocertinib and amivantamab, which specifically target exon 20 insertion mutations, interventional evidence supports their potential as effective treatment options. CONCLUSIONS: Conventional treatments used in patients with EGFR exon 20 insertion mutation-positive NSCLC have limited efficacy, though chemotherapy appeared to be associated with better response and survival outcomes than non-exon 20 targeting EGFR-TKIs and IO agents. This supports the need to identify EGFR exon 20 insertion mutations as the availability of new targeted treatments may offer additional therapeutic options to these patients.

Response rates and minimal residual disease outcomes as potential surrogates for progression-free survival in newly diagnosed multiple myeloma.

Progression-free survival (PFS) is a common primary endpoint in newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (NDMM). Patients with NDMM typically have longer PFS and are more likely to achieve minimal residual disease (MRD) or complete response (CR) compared to patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma. Response-based surrogate endpoints may hold value given the longer follow-up time required to evaluate PFS in NDMM. In this work, systematic literature reviews of Medline, Embase, and Cochrane databases (2010-06/2020) and relevant congresses (2018-2020) were performed to identify randomized clinical trials (RCTs) and real-world studies in NDMM reporting median PFS and objective response. Associations between PFS and each response endpoint were evaluated using Pearson's product-moment correlation weighted by sample size in each RCT arm. Unadjusted and adjusted weighted linear regression models were applied to estimate the gain in median PFS associated with each response endpoint. Statistically significant correlations were identified for median PFS with overall response rate (ORR; Pearson r = 0.59), CR (r = 0.48), stringent CR (sCR; r = 0.68), and MRD (r = 0.69). The unadjusted models estimated 0.50 (95% CI: 0.36, 0.64; p<0.001), 0.42 (95% CI: 0.25, 0.58; p<0.001), 1.05 (95% CI: 0.58, 1.52; p<0.001), and 0.35 (95% CI: 0.12, 0.58; p = 0.006) months of median PFS gained per point of ORR, CR, sCR, and MRD, respectively. Associations for median PFS remained statistically significant in models adjusted for age and treatment type with ORR (0.35, 95% CI: 0.21, 0.49; p<0.001), and adjusted for age and International Staging System risk stage with CR (0.29, 95% CI: 0.16, 0.41; p<0.001). Due to small sample size, adjusted models could not be constructed for sCR or MRD. Nevertheless, evidence of significant survival benefit (p<0.05) associated with MRD negativity and sCR was identified across real-world studies. These findings provide support for the use of response outcomes as surrogate endpoints to estimate PFS benefit in NDMM.

Epidemiology, Healthcare Resource Utilization, and Mortality of Asthma and COPD in COVID-19: A Systematic Literature Review and Meta-Analyses.

Purpose: There has been concern that asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease [COPD] increase the risk of developing and exacerbating COVID-19. The effect of medications such as inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) and biologics on COVID-19 is unclear. This systematic literature review analyzed the published evidence on epidemiology and the burden of illness of asthma and COPD, and the use of baseline medicines among COVID-19 populations. Patients and Methods: Using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines, Embase®, MEDLINE® and Cochrane were searched (January 2019-August 2021). The prevalence of asthma or COPD among COVID-19 populations was compared to the country-specific populations. Odds ratios (ORs) were estimated to compare healthcare resource utilization (HCRU) rates, and meta-analyses of outcomes were estimated from age-adjusted ORs (aORs) or hazard ratios (aHRs). Meta-analyses of COVID-19 outcomes were conducted using random effects models for binary outcomes. Results: Given the number and heterogeneity of studies, only 183 high-quality studies were analyzed, which reported hospitalization, intensive care unit (ICU) admissions, ventilation/intubation, or mortality. Asthma patients were not at increased risk for COVID-19-related hospitalization (OR = 1.05, 95% CI: 0.92 to 1.20), ICU admission (OR = 1.21, 95% CI: 0.99 to 1.1.48), ventilation/intubation (OR = 1.24, 95% CI: 0.95 to 1.62), or mortality (OR = 0.85, 95% CI: 0.75 to 0.96). Accounting for confounding variables, COPD patients were at higher risk of hospitalization (aOR = 1.45, 95% CI: 1.30 to 1.61), ICU admission (aOR = 1.28, 95% CI: 1.08 to 1.51), and mortality (aOR = 1.41, 95% CI: 1.37 to 1.65). Sixty-five studies reported outcomes associated with ICS or biologic use. There was limited evidence that ICS or biologics significantly impacted the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection, HCRU, or mortality in asthma or COPD patients. Conclusion: In high-quality studies included, patients with asthma were not at significantly higher odds for adverse COVID-19-related outcomes, while patients with COPD were at higher odds. There was no clear evidence that baseline medication affected outcomes. Registration: PROSPERO (CRD42021233963).

Clinical Burden and Unmet Need in Recurrent Pericarditis: A Systematic Literature Review.

Inflammation of the pericardium (pericarditis) is characterized by excruciating chest pain. This systematic literature review summarizes clinical, humanistic, and economic burdens in acute, especially recurrent, pericarditis, with a secondary aim of understanding United States treatment patterns and outcomes. Short-term clinical burden is well characterized, but long-term data are limited. Some studies report healthcare resource utilization and economic impact; none measure health-related quality-of-life. Pericarditis is associated with infrequent but potentially life-threatening complications, including cardiac tamponade (weighted average: 12.7% across 10 studies), constrictive pericarditis (1.84%; 9 studies), and pericardial effusion (54.7%; 16 studies). There are no approved pericarditis treatments; treatment guidelines, when available, are inconsistent on treatment course or duration. Most recommend first-line use of conventional treatments, for example, nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs with or without colchicine; however, 15-30% of patients experience recurrence. Second-line therapy may involve conventional therapies plus long-term utilization of corticosteroids, despite safety issues and the difficulty of tapering or discontinuation. Other exploratory therapies (eg, azathioprine, immunoglobulin, methotrexate, anakinra) present steroid-sparing options, but none are supported by robust clinical evidence, and some present tolerability challenges that may impact adherence. Pericardiectomy is occasionally pursued in treatment-refractory patients, although data are limited. This lack of an evidence-based treatment pathway for patients with recurrent disease is reflected in readmission rates, for example, 12.2% at 30 days in 1 US study. Patients with continued recurrence and inadequate treatment response need approved, safe, accessible treatments to resolve pericarditis symptoms and reduce recurrence risk without excessive treatment burden.

Validation of pain and patient global scales in chronic gout: data from two randomised controlled trials.

OBJECTIVE: To assess validity of pain and patient global scales in gout. METHODS: The authors used data from pegloticase clinical trials in chronic refractory gout to examine the validity of visual analogue scale (VAS) pain, Short-Form 36 (SF-36) bodily pain subscale and VAS patient global assessment (all scales 0-100). Convergent/divergent validity with clinical characteristics was tested by using Spearman's correlation coefficient. For discriminant ability, the authors compared the change at 6 months between placebo and pegloticase arms and calculated effect size (ES) and standardised response mean (SRM). RESULTS: 212 patients (mean age, 55.4 years, 82% men; 73% with tophaceous gout) provided data. VAS pain was statistically significantly correlated with tender joints (r=0.42), swollen joints (r=0.30), SF-36 physical (r=-0.56) and Mental Component Summary (r=-0.36) and Health Assessment Questionnaire scores (r=0.54; all p-values <0.0001), but not disease duration (r=-0.01; p=0.84), gout flares (r=0.12; p=0.08), comorbidities (r=0.05; p=0.47) or plasma urate (r=0.01; p=0.89). Similar and significant correlation coefficients with tender and swollen joints were noted for VAS patient global assessment (r=0.35 and 0.23; p<0.0012 for both) and SF-36 pain subscale (r=-0.27 and -0.19; p<0.006 for both). Pegloticase group had significantly more improvement than placebo at 6 months, mean (SD): VAS pain, -9.2 (29.3) versus 1.9 (26.4), p=0.0002; SF-36 pain, 14.6 (25.6) versus -0.04 (21.1), p<0.0001; and patient global, -9.3 (26.5) versus 3.4 (22.8), p<0.0001. ES and SRMs in pegloticase group were as follows: VAS pain, 0.34 and 0.30; SF-36 pain, 0.69 and 0.57; patient global, 0.49 and 0.44. CONCLUSION: VAS pain, SF-36 pain and patient global VAS are valid outcome measures in patients with chronic gout.

What Does the Economic Burden of Acute Myeloid Leukemia Treatment Look Like for the Next Decade? An Analysis of Key Findings, Challenges and Recommendations.

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is conventionally treated with chemotherapy in eligible patients. Potentially curative regimens are associated with significant toxicity, and the major cost drivers in AML historically have been hospitalization and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. The past several years have seen a dramatic increase in the number of treatment options, including oral therapies and drugs targeted to biological pathways implicated in AML. Major current and future drivers of cost in AML include hospitalization and medical costs, stem cell transplantation for eligible patients, and medication costs. It is likely that hospitalization and medical costs will decline as more AML treatment moves to the outpatient setting. Stem cell transplantation costs may increase, if more patients are eligible for improved procedures, although the overall cost of transplantation could decrease if new procedures reduce the need for hospitalization. Medication costs are likely to increase, with various branded drugs available and in development. From a broader perspective, another driver of cost is the proportion of patients with AML who can undergo treatment. Patients who may previously have been unable to tolerate chemotherapy are more likely to be treated with the range of less intensive, more tolerable options now available. The effectiveness of newer AML treatment options also suggests that, overall, there may be more patients staying alive and on treatment longer than in the past. While certain advances, such as increased use of oral and outpatient therapies, could potentially reduce costs, the overall economic impact of AML is likely to increase as more patients are eligible for novel therapies across several phases from induction to maintenance to relapsed/refractory disease. While these novel therapies have the potential to deliver value in the form of improved efficacy, safety, and convenience, payers will need to determine how to cover a longer, more complex AML treatment pathway.

Comparative Effectiveness of Remestemcel-L-rknd versus Ruxolitinib in Pediatric Patients with Steroid-Refractory Acute Graft-Versus-Host Disease using Simulated Treatment Comparisons.

Background: Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) can be a lifesaving treatment for hematologic malignancies, but acute graft-versus-host-disease (aGVHD) is a potentially deadly adverse effect experienced by up to half of allo-HSCT recipients. Inadequate response to steroid therapy for aGVHD is associated with poor prognosis and high mortality, including among pediatric patients, who are the focus of this study. Ruxolitinib and remestemcel-L-rknd were evaluated for the treatment of steroid-refractory (SR) aGVHD in two separate single-arm trials. To effectively compare the safety and efficacy of these treatments without a head-to-head trial, a simulated treatment comparison (STC) was conducted. Methods: Regression techniques were used to adjust individual patient-level data from the remestemcel-L-rknd trial to mutually reported baseline characteristics from the ruxolitinib trial. Outcomes of interest included a 28-day overall response rate (ORR), a 28-day ORR in the grade III-IV aGVHD population, and adverse events (AEs). Results: In the full populations, the STC of risk ratios (RRs) found treatment with remestemcel-L-rknd to be associated with a numerical but not statistically significant improvement in the 28-day ORR versus ruxolitinib. In the grade III-IV aGVHD sub-group, the STC showed significantly improved 28-day ORR for remestemcel-L-rknd versus ruxolitinib (P=0.04). Remestemcel-L-rknd was also associated with improved safety outcomes (P<0.05) in 17 out of 30 AEs, including hematologic events, peripheral edema, muscular weakness, nausea, back pain, and fatigue. Conclusion: Remestemcel-L-rknd was associated with significant improvements in day 28 ORR compared with ruxolitinib in patients with severe (grade III-IV) SR aGVHD. Across all grades of SR aGVHD, remestemcel-L-rknd was associated with fewer all-grade treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) (27/30) available for comparison, including the majority reaching statistical significance.

Economic burden of acute steroid-refractory graft-versus-host disease in commercially insured pediatric patients.

BACKGROUND: Acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD), a potentially life-threatening complication of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), often occurs within 100 days of HSCT. While steroids are typically used as first-line treatment, there is no consensus on second-line steroid-refractory (SR) treatments. SR aGVHD is associated with significantly worse pediatric health outcomes, but less is known about its economic impact. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the economic burden of SR pediatric aGVHD in a commercially insured US patient population. METHODS: Retrospective analyses were conducted using medical and pharmacy claims data from the HealthCore Integrated Research Database (study period January 1, 2006-May 31, 2019). Included patients had at least 1 claim for allogeneic HSCT (earliest HSCT claim set as index date), no claims for autologous HSCT, and no pre-index GVHD. Patients were aged less than 18 years with no minimum pre- or post-index continuous enrollment. The GVHD cohort included patients with at least 1 claim for aGVHD over 100 days from index with at least 1 claim for any steroid and at least 1 claim for second-line therapy, both on or after the date of the first aGVHD claim. Patients post-HSCT with no GVHD claims over follow-up formed the comparison cohort. Health care resource utilization and costs over 12 months from the index date were calculated and compared between cohorts using parametric testing. RESULTS: 38 patients with SR aGVHD and 184 controls were included. Mean age and sex were similar for aGVHD (8.6 years, 50% female) and control (8.2 years, 45% female). During the 12-month post-index follow-up, SR aGVHD patients had higher rates of complications vs controls (* for P < 0.05): anemia (79% vs 68%), drug-induced anemia* (53% vs 34%), neutropenia (63% vs 53%), thrombocytopenia (58% vs 42%), gastrointestinal complications* (95% vs 65%), and infections* (95% vs 79%). Mean inpatient length of stay was longer by 31.6 days (P < 0.01) with a total average of 96.0 days for those with SR aGVHD vs 64.3 days for the controls. More SR aGVHD patients required inpatient total parenteral nutrition (71% vs 58%), readmission within 12 months of discharge from index hospitalization* (89% vs 60%), ER visits (34% vs 24%), and outpatient visits (100% vs 86%). Total 12-month mean medical costs were higher in aGVHD patients: $1,212,944 vs $673,491 (P < 0.001), mostly because of complication-related costs: $868,966 vs $396,757 (P < 0.001). Among patients with SR aGVHD, mean total costs were higher by about $1.8 million ($2,609,445 vs $812,385; P = 0.014) for those who died compared with those who were alive within 12 months. CONCLUSIONS: SR aGVHD in pediatric patients following HSCT is associated with incremental 12-month medical costs of greater than $500,000, driven largely by complications. DISCLOSURES: This research was sponsored by Mesoblast, Inc. Grabner is an employee of HealthCore, Inc., which acted as consultants to Mesoblast, Inc., during the conduct of this research. Strati is an employee of Mesoblast, Inc. Sandman and Forsythe are employees of Purple Squirrel Economics, which acted as consultants to Mesoblast, Inc., during the conduct of this research. This work was presented at the AMCP Annual Meeting online in April 2020 and was an encore presentation at AMCP Nexus 2020 Virtual in October 2020.

A Systematic Literature Review of the Epidemiology, Health-Related Quality of Life Impact, and Economic Burden of Immunoglobulin A Nephropathy.

Introduction: This systematic literature review analyzed published evidence on IgA nephropathy (IgAN), focusing on US epidemiology, health-related quality of life (HRQoL), and economic burden of illness. Methods: Using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines, Embase®, MEDLINE®, Cochrane, and Econlit (January 2010 to June 2020) were searched, along with relevant congresses (2017-2020). Results: Of 123 epidemiologic studies selected for data extraction, 24 reported IgAN diagnosis rates ranging from 6.3% to 29.7% among adult and pediatric patients undergoing renal biopsy, with all reported US rates <15%. No US studies reported IgAN prevalence. A meta-analysis of US studies calculated an annual incidence of 1.29/100 000 people, translating to an annual US incidence of 4236 adults and children. Relative to Europe, the United States had more patients diagnosed with IgAN in later chronic kidney disease stages. US rates of transition to end-stage renal disease (ESRD) ranged from 12.5% to 23% during 3-3.9 years of observation, rising to 53% during 19 years of observation. Across 8 studies reporting HRQoL, pain and fatigue were the most reported symptoms, and patients consistently ranked kidney function and mortality as the most important treatment outcomes. Patients with glomerulopathy reported worse mental health than healthy controls or hemodialysis patients; proteinuria was significantly associated with poorer HRQoL and depression. Conclusion: While economic evidence in IgAN remains sparse, management of ESRD is a major cost driver. IgAN is a rare disease where disease progression causes increasing patient burden, underscoring the need for therapies that prevent kidney function decline and HRQoL deterioration while reducing mortality.

US database study: burden and healthcare resource utilization in adults with systemic endemic mycoses and aspergillosis.

Aim: This study evaluated burden of illness in immunocompromised patients with systemic mycoses (SM) eligible for itraconazole treatment, specifically, histoplasmosis, blastomycosis and aspergillosis. Methods: A cross-sectional study used an electronic medical record network integrating information from 30 US hospitals, including >34 million patients, to evaluate burden and healthcare resource utilization over 6 months following initiation of antifungal therapy. Results: Symptomatic burden experienced by each of the otherwise healthy or age >65 or immunosuppressed cohorts receiving antifungal therapy for SM was comparable but significantly greater in cancer or HIV patients and transplant recipients. Across groups, there was substantially higher healthcare resource utilization in patients with SM versus matched controls without SM. Conclusion: The total impact of SM is particularly severe in high-risk or vulnerable populations.