At the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR) Symposium, two of PHAR’s newest studies were presented. One study done in partnership with Akcea Therapeutics estimated helathcare utilization and cost among patients with hereditary transtheyretin amyloidosis (hATTR) by analyzing insurance claims. Another study, in partnership with Otsuka Pharmaceutical, examined the effectiveness of long-acting injectables in reducing psychiatric hospitalization among patients with bipolar I disorder.
Presentations & Events
PHAR’s Secondary Data Analysis Team Presents Multiple Studies at AMCP 2018
Three studies conducted by the secondary data analysis team at PHAR were presented at the AMCP Managed Care & Specialty Pharmacy Annual Meeting held in Boston, MA. The studies focused on different disease areas and outcomes, with one study on the health care utilization and costs of newly diagnosed AL amyloidosis, another study on adherence to atypical antipsychotics among patients with bipolar disorder, and another on the disease burden of hereditary transthyretin amyloidosis. All studies were well-received at AMCP 2018, and the posters can be viewed on the PHAR website here.
PHAR Makes 15 Research Presentations at Conferences Across the US in May
PHAR had 14 posters and 1 oral presentation at a series of recent conferences, including the ISPOR 22nd Annual International Meeting, National Lipid Association Scientific Sessions, American Thoracic Society International Conference, and the Annual Meeting of the American Psychiatric Association. Four posters at ISPOR were honored with the Research Poster Finalist Award. The study topics covered a wide variety of conditions and study methods, including using insurance claims to evaluate medication adherence in bipolar patients and developing models to project cardiovascular disease mortality rates. All posters gained favorable reviews at the conferences and can be accessed here.
PHAR’s Research Presented at CHEST 2016
Research focused on idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) conducted by PHAR and supported by Genentech, Inc. was well-represented at the CHEST Annual Meeting 2016. One study was selected as an oral presentation and two were presented as posters. The oral presentation reported on the prevalence of comorbidities in Medicare IPF patients versus disease free controls, and whether it increased over time. The posters presented analyses of mortality, and cardiovascular burden and medication use among IPF patients. The posters can be accessed on the PHAR website here.
Strong Research Presence at ATS 2016
In association with the researchers at Genentech, Inc., studies conducted by PHAR were a strong presence at the American Thoracic Society Conference (ATS) 2016. One was selected as an oral presentation and three were presented as posters. The study chosen for oral presentation reported on the overall in-hospital mortality, length of stay (LOS), and hospitalization cost in patients with IPF admitted to hospitals in the US, and the posters presented a more in-depth set of data on the mortality and resource utilization of IPF. A study on whether allergic status is associated with increased number of asthma exacerbations was also presented. The posters can be accessed on the PHAR website here.
PHAR Finds New Oncology “Value Frameworks” May Not Be Reliable
In response to the rise of effective but expensive new cancer treatments, several organizations have put forth “value frameworks” for oncology. These frameworks, produced by organizations including the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO), and the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER), are tools designed to help doctors, patients, and insurance companies determine how much value a treatment provides relative to its cost. Researchers at PHAR, Tufts, UCLA, and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, collaborating on the first published evaluation of the reliability of these frameworks, found only fair to good consistency between different individuals using the same framework to evaluate the same drug. They also found that using each of the three different frameworks could lead to significantly different conclusions about the relative value of cancer treatments. These findings suggest it may be premature to use these value frameworks in treatment decision-making without further evidence of their reliability and validity. The study results were presented at the 2016 ASCO meeting.
PHAR Studies on a Variety of Conditions Presented at AMCP 2016
Five studies conducted by teams at PHAR were presented at the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy Managed Care & Specialty Pharmacy Annual Meeting in San Francisco. These studies cover a wide range of diseases and methods including cost effectiveness study of treatments for peripheral t-cell lymphoma, an analysis of insurance claims among cystic fibrosis patients, and an examination of patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis using the National Inpatient Sample. The five posters can be found here.
PHAR Announces Results from Prospective Study of the Impact of Genomic Testing in Early Breast Cancer at ASCO 2014
PHAR announced that results from the first study to assess the clinical utility of the DCIS Score Assay in management of DCIS will be presented at American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting. Clinicians and breast cancer patients must decide among multiple treatment options including breast conserving surgery, mastectomy, partial or whole breast radiation, and hormonal manipulation. Treatment recommendations are usually made using clinicopathologic factors to estimate average local recurrence risk for similar patients. The validated Oncotype® DX 12-gene assay for DCIS gives additional, independent, individual estimates of 10-year risk In association with 10 cancer centers throughout the United States, PHAR conducted a prospective observation study on the impact of the DCIS Score result on radiation treatment recommendations for patients with DCIS. The study results will be presented at ASCO’s 50th Annual Meeting in Chicago, IL, and can be viewed here.
PHAR Study on CINV Medication Presented in Berlin, Germany
Experts from Eisai presented findings of a PHAR/Eisai study on chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) medication at the MASCC/ISOO International Symposium on Supportive Care in Cancer, held in Berlin, Germany. The investigators compared the cost and occurrence of CINV between patients who were only prescribed palonosetron and patients who were prescribed the generic alternative in combination with other oral medication. The study found that patients treated with palonosetron alone had a significantly lower risk of CINV, and lower CINV-related charges, than patients treated with generic alternatives. The poster can be viewed here
Research on Cushing’s Disease Presented at ENDO 2013
Researchers at PHAR, in conjunction with experts from Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, presented the results of several studies on Cushing’s disease at the Endocrine Society’s 95th Annual Meeting on June 19th, 2013. Cushing’s disease, a pituitary disorder, is poorly studied because of its rarity. The PHAR research team reported on the incidence, treatment patterns, and annual economic burden associated with the disease–topics on which very little was previously known. The three posters presented at ENDO can be viewed by clicking the links below:
Incidence of Cushing’s Disease in the United States
Annual Economic Burden Associated with Cushing’s Disease in the United States