Head-to-head comparison of FOLFIRINOX versus gemcitabine plus nab-paclitaxel in advanced pancreatic cancer: a target trial emulation using real-world data.

PURPOSE: To emulate a hypothetical target trial assessing the effect of initiating 5-fluorouracil, folinic acid, irinotecan, and oxaliplatin (FOLFIRINOX) versus gemcitabine plus nab-paclitaxel (GN) within 8 weeks of diagnosis on overall survival. METHODS: An observational cohort study was conducted using population-level data from Alberta, Canada. Individuals diagnosed with advanced pancreatic cancer between April 2015 and December 2019 were identified through the provincial cancer registry and followed until March 2021. Records were linked to other administrative databases containing information on relevant variables. Individuals were excluded if they did not have adequate hemoglobin, platelet, white blood cell, and serum creatinine measures or if they received prior therapy. The observational analog of the per-protocol effect was estimated using inverse probability weighted Kaplan-Meier curves with bootstrapped 95% confidence intervals. RESULTS: Four hundred seven individuals were eligible. The weighted median overall survival was 8.3 months (95% CI, 5.7-11.9) for FOLFIRINOX and 5.1 months (95% CI: 4.3 to 5.8) for GN. The adjusted difference in median overall survival was 3.2 months (95% CI, 1.1-7.4) and the mortality hazard ratio was 0.78 (95% CI, 0.61-0.97). CONCLUSIONS: Our estimates favored the initiation of FOLFIRINOX over GN with respect to overall survival.

Assessment of Alectinib vs Ceritinib in ALK-Positive Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer in Phase 2 Trials and in Real-world Data.

Importance: Quantitative assessment of bias from unmeasured confounding and missing data can help evaluate uncertainty in findings from indirect comparisons using real-world data (RWD). Objective: To compare the effectiveness of alectinib vs ceritinib in terms of overall survival (OS) in patients with ALK-positive, crizotinib-refractory, non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and to assess the sensitivity of these findings to unmeasured confounding and missing data assumptions. Design, Setting, and Participants: This comparative effectiveness research study compared patients from 2 phase 2 alectinib trials and real-world patients. Patients were monitored from June 2013 to March 2020. Comparisons of interest were between alectinib trial data vs ceritinib RWD and alectinib RWD vs ceritinib RWD. RWD treatment groups were selected from nationally representative cancer data from US cancer clinics, the majority from community centers. Participants were ALK-positive patients aged 18 years or older with advanced NSCLC, prior exposure to crizotinib, and Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Performance Status (PS) of 0 to 2. Data analysis was performed from October 2020 to March 2021. Exposures: Initiation of alectinib or ceritinib therapy. Main Outcomes and Measures: The main outcome was OS. Results: In total, there were 355 patients: 183 (85 men [46.4%]) in the alectinib trial, 91 (43 men [47.3%]) in the ceritinib RWD group, and 81 (38 men [46.9%]) in the alectinib RWD group. Patients in the alectinib trial were younger (mean [SD] age, 52.53 [11.18] vs 57.97 [11.71] years), more heavily pretreated (mean [SD] number of prior therapy lines, 1.95 [0.72] vs 1.47 [0.81]), and had more favorable baseline ECOG PS (ECOG PS of 0 or 1, 165 patients [90.2%] vs 37 patients [77.1%]) than those in the ceritinib RWD group. The alectinib RWD group (mean [SD] age, 58.69 [11.26] years) had more patients with favorable ECOG PS (ECOG PS of 0 or 1, 49 patients [92.4%] vs 37 patients [77.1%]) and more White patients (56 patients [72.7%] vs 53 patients [62.4%]) compared with the ceritinib group. Compared with ceritinib RWD, alectinib-exposed patients had significantly longer OS in alectinib trials (adjusted hazard ratio [HR], 0.59; 95% CI, 0.44-0.75; P < .001) and alectinib RWD (HR, 0.46; 95% CI, 0.29-0.63; P < .001) after adjustment for baseline confounders. For the worst-case HR estimate of 0.59, residual confounding by a hypothetical confounder associated with mortality and treatment by a risk ratio greater than 2.24 was required to reverse the findings. Conclusions were robust to plausible deviations from random missingness for missing ECOG PS and underrecorded comorbidities and central nervous system metastases in RWD. Conclusions and Relevance: Alectinib exposure was associated with longer OS compared with ceritinib in patients with ALK-positive NSCLC, and only substantial levels of bias examined reversed the findings. These findings suggest that quantitative bias analysis can be a useful tool to address uncertainty of findings for decision-makers considering RWD.

Time to really share real-world data?

Data other than that from clinical trials are important for healthcare decision making. However, unlike the vocal calls seen for more open access to trial data, there are limited efforts being made to ensure that agencies that collect real-world data (RWD) share this, despite its importance. There are many RWD sources across the world that could be readily exploited for research once shared. There are policy and privacy questions that need to be tackled, but opening up and sharing RWD offers remarkable potential for improvements in care for individuals and more effective use of limited healthcare resources. Open science should become the standard for RWD as well as clinical trials, especially those that have a high likelihood to influence practice.

A review of data sharing statements in observational studies published in the BMJ: A cross-sectional study.

In order to understand the current state of data sharing in observational research studies, we reviewed data sharing statements of observational studies published in a general medical journal, the British Medical Journal. We found that the majority (63%) of observational studies published between 2015 and 2017 included a statement that implied that data used in the study could not be shared. If the findings of our exploratory study are confirmed, room for improvement in the sharing of real-world or observational research data exists.

Real-world data in the United Kingdom: opportunities and challenges.

Real-world data is that collected outside the constraints of controlled clinical trials and is increasingly informing decision-making in healthcare. The landscape of real-world data in the United Kingdom is set to evolve over the coming months as the government plans to build on databases currently in place by collecting patient data from all family practices and linking this information with hospital records. This initiative, called care.data, has the potential to be an invaluable resource. However, the programme has been criticized on grounds of data privacy, which has led to an extended delay in its implementation and the expectation that a large number of people will opt out. Opt-outs may introduce substantial biases to the dataset, and understanding how to account for these presents a significant challenge for researchers. For the scope and quality of real-world evidence in the United Kingdom to be realised, and for this information to be used effectively, it is essential to address this challenge.

Clinical burden of pneumonia, meningitis and septicemia in Norway 2 years after 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine introduction.

AIMS: This population-based, retrospective study quantified the rates of all-cause and pneumococcal pneumonia, meningitis and septicemia in Norway from 2008 to 2009 and determined the proportions of cases caused by pneumococcal vaccine serotypes. METHODS: Data on patients with all-cause and pneumococcal pneumonia, meningitis and septicemia were obtained from the Norwegian Patient Registry, which collects hospitalization data from all Norwegian public hospitals based on International Classification of Diseases codes. Norwegian Patient Registry case records linked to the Norwegian Surveillance System for Communicable Diseases provided serotype data for invasive pneumococcal disease in patients with microbiological cultures. RESULTS: In 2008 and 2009, hospitalization rates were relatively stable for all-cause pneumonia (5.28 and 5.35, respectively, per 1000), meningitis (10.70 and 9.67, respectively, per 100,000), and septicemia (from 171.81 to 161.46 per 100,000). In contrast, rates decreased for International Classification of Diseases-10 diagnosed pneumococcal pneumonia (from 13.66 to 10.52 per 100,000), although these cases may be under-reported because of inclusion in all-cause pneumonia. Rates also decreased in diagnosed pneumococcal meningitis (from 1.60 to 1.19 per 100,000) and diagnosed pneumococcal septicemia (from 9.08 to 7.94 per 100,000). Diagnosed pneumococcal disease rates were highest in younger children and older adults, peaking at ⩾ 60 years old. Pneumococcal pneumonia, meningitis and septicemia caused by serotypes included in the 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine decreased substantially during the study period, with corresponding serotype replacement by non-7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine serotypes. CONCLUSIONS: From 2008 to 2009, International Classification of Diseases-10 diagnosed pneumococcal pneumonia, meningitis and septicemia decreased in most age groups but remained greatest among subjects aged 0-1 and ⩾ 60 years.

A retrospective study to assess resource utilization in patients with cervical dystonia in the United Kingdom.

PURPOSE: Cervical dystonia (CD) is a hypertonic condition caused by damage to the central nervous system. Very few studies have assessed the overall economic burden of the disease. The objective of this study was to describe the utilization of health care resources of patients with CD in the UK primary care setting, using a large population-based database. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Adults with a first diagnosis of CD between January 1, 2007 and January 31, 2011, who were registered to a general practitioner (GP) practice contributing to The Health Improvement Network (THIN), were included. Sociodemographic and clinical characteristics were assessed at the time of diagnosis. Health care resource utilization and pharmacological treatment were investigated at the end of the first and second year after diagnosis. RESULTS: Overall, 4,024 newly diagnosed patients with CD were identified, with average age at diagnosis of 45 years old; 65.3% were female. Depression in the year prior to diagnosis was the most common comorbidity. Primary care utilization was high in the first year, with 99.2% of patients visiting their GP (on average 6.2 times), and 43% visiting a nurse (on average 2.5 times). Patients were most commonly referred to an orthopedic surgeon, and 15.9% reported at least one physiotherapy visit. In the second year, utilization was similar. Prescriptions of at least one of the investigated treatments were found in 82.0% and 45.3%, in the first and second year, respectively. CONCLUSION: Findings suggest a high number of new CD cases are being identified in primary care, but not all will be referred to secondary care. Health care resource utilization was compared with that of all patients registered in THIN, which is representative of the UK, and the adjusted usage of primary care resources was found to be similar to that of the THIN population.

A systematic review of pharmacoeconomic studies for pregabalin.

BACKGROUND: With anticonvulsant, anxiolytic, and analgesic properties, pregabalin has been evaluated for neuropathic pain and fibromyalgia (FM). These chronic conditions diminish patients' quality of life and increase healthcare utilization and costs. OBJECTIVE: To assess the current understanding of economic outcomes associated with pregabalin in neuropathic pain and FM. METHODS: Using keywords related to economic outcomes and pregabalin, we systematically searched MEDLINE- and EMBASE-indexed literature and nonindexed "grey" literature on neuropathic pain and FM published from March 2001 to October 2012. Included studies reported economic findings associated with pregabalin. RESULTS: In the past 11 years, 55 publications assessed the direct costs, resource use, or cost-effectiveness of pregabalin for neuropathic pain and FM. Studies generally lacked comparability due to heterogeneous patient populations, assumptions, time periods, and geographies. In the US, following treatment initiation, pregabalin resulted in similar or higher levels of healthcare use for FM compared with duloxetine. In contrast, medical costs for neuropathic pain did not significantly differ after initiation of pregabalin vs. duloxetine or other standard therapies in the US, but in Spain and Sweden, retrospective database studies suggested that pregabalin was cost-saving vs. gabapentin. Few economic analyses estimated indirect costs. CONCLUSIONS: Neuropathic pain and FM are associated with high healthcare resource use and costs. Economic studies of pregabalin in neuropathic pain and FM indicate some results favorable to other forms of care, but heterogeneity among study designs and populations hinder comparisons. Future economic analyses should aim to address data gaps regarding effects of pregabalin on productivity and resource use.

Using Twitter to investigate opinions about multiple sclerosis treatments: a descriptive, exploratory study.

BACKGROUND: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a common complex disorder, with new treatment options emerging each year. Social media is being increasingly used to investigate opinions about drugs, diseases and procedures. In this descriptive exploratory study, we sought to investigate opinions about currently available MS treatments. METHODS: The Twitter resource Topsy was searched for tweets mentioning the following MS treatments: Aubagio, Avonex, Betaferon or Betaseron, Copaxone, Extavia, Gilenya, Lemtrada, Novantrone, Rebif, Tysabri and Tecfidera between 1 Jan 2006 to 31 Jul 2014. Tweets were normalised and sentiment analysis performed. RESULTS: In total, there were 60037 unique tweets mentioning an MS treatment. About half of the tweets contained non-neutral sentiment. Mean sentiment scores were different for treatments ranging from -0.191to 0.282 when investigating all tweets. These differences in sentiment scores between treatments were statistically significant (P<0.001). Sentiment scores tended to be higher for oral MS treatments than injectable treatments. CONCLUSIONS: Many tweets about MS treatments have a non-neutral sentiment. The analysis of social media appears to be a potential avenue for exploring patient opinion about MS treatments.

Assessing the burden of illness from cervical dystonia using the Toronto Western Spasmodic Torticollis Rating Scale scores and health utility: a meta-analysis of baseline patient-level clinical trial data.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to explore the burden of illness associated with cervical dystonia (CD), including possible demographic and humanistic correlates of baseline disease severity. METHODS: The analysis involved the five multinational randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trials that had evaluated the efficacy and safety of Dysport® in patients with CD, including assessment using the Toronto Western Spasmodic Torticollis Rating Scale (TWSTRS). Patient-level TWSTRS scores from the individual studies were meta-analysed to estimate disease severity at baseline. One of the studies had reported Short Form-36 (SF-36) Health Survey quality-of-life measures, and these data were used to investigate whether the severity of CD was associated with humanistic outcomes, as measured by health utility. A generalized regression model was then applied to explore potential correlation between TWSTRS scores and utilities. RESULTS: The estimated pooled mean baseline severity of CD in clinical trial entrants, as measured by TWSTRS score, was 43.23 (95% CI = 39.31-47.15). In general, disease severity was significantly greater in patients aged over 40 years (compared to the reference group aged 18-30 years). However, there was no correlation between disease severity and other demographic characteristics (e.g., weight, height, gender). Higher TWSTRS scores correlated with worse health-related quality of life as perceived by patients and was reflected in health utility (R(2 )= 0.133). CONCLUSIONS: This study was able to define TWSTRS scores in patients with CD in terms of associated utility. This approach could help in capturing the disease's burden through measures that are more tangible than TWSTRS scores to patients, carers, clinicians, and healthcare payers.

Validation of the SF-36 in patients with endometriosis.

OBJECTIVES: Endometriosis presents with significant pain as the most common symptom. Generic health measures can allow comparisons across diseases or populations. However, the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form 36 (SF-36) has not been validated for this disease. The goal of this study was to validate the SF-36 (version 2) for endometriosis. METHODS: Using data from two clinical trials (N = 252 and 198) of treatment for endometriosis, a full complement of psychometric analyses was performed. Additional instruments included a pain visual analog scale (VAS); a physician-completed questionnaire based on patient interview (modified Biberoglu and Behrman--B&B); clinical global impression of change (CGI-C); and patient satisfaction with treatment. RESULTS: Bodily pain (BP) and the Physical Component Summary Score (PCS) were correlated with the pain VAS at baseline and over time and the B&B at baseline and end of study. In addition, those who had the greatest change in BP and PCS also reported the greatest change on CGI-C and patient satisfaction with treatment. Other subscales showed smaller, but significant, correlations with change in the pain VAS, CGI-C, and patient satisfaction with treatment. CONCLUSIONS: The SF-36--particularly BP and the PCS--appears to be a valid and responsive measure for endometriosis and its treatment.

Use of mixed-treatment-comparison methods in estimating efficacy of treatments for heavy menstrual bleeding.

BACKGROUND: A variety of pharmacological and surgical treatments have been developed for heavy menstrual bleeding (HMB), which can have negative physical, social, psychological, and economic consequences. We conducted a systematic literature review and mixed-treatment-comparison (MTC) meta-analysis of available data from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to derive estimates of efficacy for 8 classes of treatments for HMB, to inform health-economic analysis and future studies. METHODS: A systematic review identified RCTs that reported data on menstrual blood loss (MBL) at baseline and one or more follow-up times. Eight treatment classes were considered: COCs, danazol, endometrial ablation, LNG-IUS, placebo, progestogens given for less than 2 weeks out of 4 during the menstrual cycle, progestogens given for close to 3 weeks out of 4, and TXA. The primary measure of efficacy was the proportion of women who achieved MBL < 80 mL per cycle (month), as measured by the alkaline hematin method. A score less than 100 on an established pictorial blood-loss assessment chart (PBAC) was considered an acceptable substitute for MBL < 80 mL. Estimates of efficacy by treatment class and time were obtained from a Bayesian MTC model. The model also included effects for treatment class, study, and the combination of treatment class and study and an adjustment for baseline mean MBL. Several methodological challenges complicated the analysis. Some trials reported various summary statistics for MBL or PBAC, requiring estimation (with less precision) of % MBL < 80 mL or % PBAC < 100. Also, reported follow-up times varied substantially. RESULTS: The evidence network involved 34 RCTs, with follow-up times from 1 to 36 months. Efficacy at 3 months of follow-up (estimated as the posterior median) ranged from 87.5% for the levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system (LNG-IUS) to 14.2% for progestogens administered for less than 2 weeks out of 4 in the menstrual cycle. The 95% credible intervals for most estimates were quite wide, mainly because of the limited evidence for many combinations of treatment class and follow-up time and the uncertainty from estimating % MBL < 80 mL or % PBAC < 100 from summary statistics. CONCLUSIONS: LNG-IUS and endometrial ablation are very efficacious in treating HMB. The study yielded useful insights on using MTC in sparse evidence networks. Diversity of outcome measures and follow-up times in the HMB literature presented considerable challenges. The Bayesian credible intervals reflected the various sources of uncertainty.

Direct medical costs associated with atopic diseases among young children in Thailand.

OBJECTIVE: Allergic diseases are the most common childhood illness in Thailand. Their prevalence has been rising over time, with several studies having revealed substantial economic burden. However, no such study had yet been conducted for Thailand. The aim of this study was to estimate direct medical costs associated with atopic diseases among children aged 0-5 years in Thailand. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: A cost-of-illness model was constructed to estimate the total direct medical costs of atopic diseases comprising atopic dermatitis, chronic rhinitis, asthma (i.e., recurrent wheeze), and cow's milk allergy. The model employed a prevalence-based approach, considering a total number of atopic cases in 2010. Direct medical costs were estimated using a bottom-up analysis with the estimation of the quantity of healthcare resource use and the unit costs. Epidemiological data were obtained from literature and Thai surveys, whereas treatment unit costs were from either a hospital database or Thai standard cost list. Expert opinion informed type, frequency, and quantity of medical resources utilized. Key limitations included lack of data-driven evidences on severity distribution for this particular age group, indirect costs, and medical resource use associated with each condition. RESULTS: Total direct cost was estimated to be THB 27.8 billion (US$899 million). Treatments contributed largest to the total costs (46%), followed by inpatient care (37%), outpatient care (12%), and monitoring and labs (5%). Costs per treated patient were highest in cow's milk allergy (THB 64,383; US$2077), followed by rhinitis (THB 12,669; US$409), asthma (THB 9633; US$312), and atopic dermatitis (THB 5432; US$175). CONCLUSION: Atopic diseases in young children are associated with substantial burden in direct medical costs to Thailand. These costs can be diminished through nutritional intervention recognized to effectively decrease the incidence of atopic diseases.

Health technology assessment in Poland and Scotland: comparison of process and decisions.

OBJECTIVES: We compared Polish and Scottish Health Technology Assessment (HTA) process in order to elicit recommendations for future development of HTA methodological guidelines in Poland. METHODS: We studied the differences between Polish and Scottish HTA methodological guidelines. HTA recommendations issued by Polish HTA agency (AHTAPol) in the period January 1 through December 31, 2008, were benchmarked to HTA guidance published by Scottish Medical Consortium (SMC) for the same drug technology. RESULTS: The Scottish HTA methodological guidelines were more instructive in terms of clinical and economic evaluations than Polish guidelines. SMC evaluated forty-eight of sixty-eight drug technologies appraised by AHTAPoL. There were thirty drug technologies that received similar guidance in both countries and eighteen with contradictory HTA recommendations. In Scotland, there were more positive HTA recommendations than there were in Poland. While comments about efficacy or safety were commonplace among reasons for negative recommendations in Poland, insufficient justification of treatment's cost in relation to benefits was the most often cited reason for rejection in Scotland. SMC tended to recommend restricted use to specific sub-populations for several drug technologies negatively appraised by AHTAPoL. CONCLUSIONS: The comparison between SMC and AHTAPoL suggests that there is potential room of improvement of the Polish HTA methodological guidelines. Comparative effectiveness and safety, subgroup analysis, and adaptation of models to local settings were identified as key areas for further development of Polish HTA methodological guidelines.