Health care services and disease modifying therapies use in community-based multiple sclerosis patients: Evolution from 2013 to 2015 and demographic characteristics.

INTEREST OF THE WORK: Multiple sclerosis (MS) disease modifying therapies (DMT) utilization increased during the last decade with the approval of new drugs. Symptomatic treatments also play an important role. Describing time trends and demographic characteristics for DMT and symptomatic treatments utilization in population-based MS patients will lead to a better knowledge of the resources distribution. METHODS: Repeated cross-sectional analysis on each calendar year were implemented retrospectively on the health insurance claims database in France from 2013 until 2015 regarding DMT, fampridine, fluoxetine, psychiatrist office visits, and Physical therapy sessions to calculate an utilization rate defined as the number of MS patients (whenever the date of diagnosis) who filled at least 1 prescription or service within the studied calendar year per cent MS patients covered the same calendar year (number of users per cent MS population per annum). Beneficiaries with MS were identified by their exemption of co-payment for long-term disease (ALD). RESULTS: DMT utilization rate increased from 34.22% in 2013 to 38.73% in 2015. The increase was due to recently developed DMT as first-generation DMT utilization rate decreased from 30.20% to 20.06%. Rates were not different between genders but significantly decreased with age. The average age of users was significantly lower for DMT than for symptomatic treatments (recently developed DMT: 43.63, first-generation DMT: 45.84, psychiatrist office visits: 49.08, Fampyra®: 55.41, Physical therapy sessions: 55.88, fluoxetine: 58.26). Regional DMT utilization rates ranged from 31.68% in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes to 42.58% in Normandie. They were not correlated to regional rates of MS prevalence (R-Square=0.0558; P=0.2556) nor to the presence of a MS reference centre in the region (Chi-Square=0.0190; P=0.8905). In 2015 the six DMTs with the highest rates were by decreasing orders: Tecfidera®, Avonex®, Gilenya®, Aubagio®, Copaxone®, and Rebif®. Half of them were recently developed orally-administered drugs. PERSPECTIVES: Complex factors may explain the interprovincial variability. Low DMT utilization rates in the most aged patients who also have the highest recourse rate to symptomatic treatments reflect the fact that the indication of disease modifying therapies do not address older patient's needs. New DMTs with medical indications for the late degenerative phase are needed.

COST-EFFECTIVENESS OF TREATMENTS FOR MILD-TO-MODERATE OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP APNEA IN FRANCE.

OBJECTIVES: Untreated obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) is associated with excessive daytime sleepiness, increased risk of cardiovascular (CV) disease, and road traffic accidents (RTAs), which impact survival and health-related quality of life. This study, funded by the French National Authority for Health (HAS), aimed to assess the cost-effectiveness of different treatments (i.e., continuous positive airway pressure [CPAP], dental devices, lifestyle advice, and no treatment) in patients with mild-to-moderate OSAHS in France. METHODS: A Markov model was developed to simulate the progression of two cohorts, stratified by CV risk, over a lifetime horizon. Daytime sleepiness and RTAs were taken into account for all patients while CV events were only considered for patients with high CV risk. RESULTS: For patients with low CV risk, incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of dental devices versus no treatment varied between 32,976 EUR (moderate OSAHS) and 45,579 EUR (mild OSAHS) per quality-adjusted life-year (QALY), and CPAP versus dental devices, above 256,000 EUR/QALY. For patients with high CV risk, CPAP was associated with a gain of 0.62 QALY compared with no treatment, resulting in an ICER of 10,128 EUR/QALY. CONCLUSION: The analysis suggests that it is efficient to treat all OSAHS patients with high CV risk with CPAP and that dental devices are more efficient than CPAP for mild-to-moderate OSAHS with low CV risk. However, out-of-pocket costs are currently much higher for dental devices than for CPAP (i.e., 3,326 EUR versus 2,430 EUR) as orthodontic treatment is mainly non-refundable in France.

Geographic variations of multiple sclerosis prevalence in France: The latitude gradient is not uniform depending on the socioeconomic status of the studied population.

BACKGROUND: In France, two studies analysed multiple sclerosis prevalence nationwide: one was carried out in farmers, and the other one in employees. A south-north gradient of prevalence was found solely in farmers. OBJECTIVE: In order to better describe the latitude gradient in France, which is not uniform depending on the studied population, we assessed whether a gradient exists in another population than farmers and employees: independent workers. The same methods of case ascertainment have been used. METHODS: Altogether 4,165,903 persons insured by the French health insurance scheme for independent workers were included. We searched the database for (a) long term disease status 'multiple sclerosis', (b) domicile, (c) gender and (d) age. RESULTS: A total of 4182 cases of multiple sclerosis were registered giving a prevalence of 100.39/100,000. Adjustment by age and sex and spatial smoothing with a Bayesian analysis showed a gradual increase of prevalence from the southwest to the northeast of France. Standardised morbidity ratio was correlated with latitude and longitude (p<0.0001; p = 0.0031; adjusted R2 = 0.3038). CONCLUSION: A discrepancy of geographic distribution between farmers and independent workers on the one hand and employees on the other cannot be attributable to environment. Assuming that socioeconomic status by itself is not associated with multiple sclerosis risk, employees' geographic mobility at adulthood for professional reasons could have interfered with the gradient effect.

Indicators to assess National Immunization Technical Advisory Groups (NITAGs).

A National Immunization Technical Advisory Group (NITAG) is an expert advisory committee that provides evidence-based recommendations to the Ministry of Health (MoH) to guide immunization programs and policies. The World Health Organization (WHO), the Initiative for Supporting National Independent Immunization and Vaccine Advisory Committees (SIVAC) at Agence de Médecine Préventive (AMP) and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (US CDC) engaged NITAG stakeholders and technical partners in the development of indicators to assess the effectiveness of NITAGs. A list of 17 process, output and outcome indicators was developed and tested in 14 countries to determine whether they were understandable, feasible to collect, and useful for the countries. Based on the findings, a revised version of the indicators is proposed for self-assessment in the countries, as well as for global monitoring of the NITAGs.