Potential Cost Savings by Switching from Subcutaneous to Intralymphatic Insect Venom Immunotherapy.
Int Arch Allergy Immunol
; 184(10): 985-993, 2023.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-37467738
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION:
IgE-mediated bee venom allergy can be treated with allergen-specific immunotherapy (AIT). Subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT) is time and cost intensive due to the repeated consultations, but the costs are justified by the high risk of potentially life-threatening allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis. However, intralymphatic immunotherapy (ILIT) offers potential to reduce treatment costs due to a significant reduction in injections and a shorter duration of therapy. Therefore, we calculated the cost savings that arise when switching from SCIT to ILIT.METHODS:
Treatment protocols for ILIT were based on previous ILIT studies. Treatment protocols for SCIT were based on routine treatment at the University Hospital Zurich (USZ). The treatment costs were calculated based on the internal hospital information system (KISIM).RESULTS:
The calculations revealed a potential two-fold reduction in treatment costs if ILIT is used instead of SCIT in patients with bee venom allergy. The costs could be reduced from EUR 11,612.59 with SCIT to EUR 5,942.15 with ILIT over 5 years.CONCLUSIONS:
This study shows that bee venom ILIT has a cost-benefit potential for health insurances and patients, which should encourage further ILIT studies and which should be taken into account when considering future implementation of ILIT in the standard care of venom allergy.
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Type of study:
Guideline
/
Health_economic_evaluation
Language:
En
Journal:
Int Arch Allergy Immunol
Journal subject:
ALERGIA E IMUNOLOGIA
Year:
2023
Document type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Suiza