PHAR’s Michael S. Broder, MD, MSHS, Sarah N. Gibbs, MPH, and Irina Yermilov, MD, MPH published an article describing how they adapted the RAND/UCLA modified Delphi panel method, which typically relies on an in-person meeting, during the COVID-19 pandemic. This virtual method can be a cost-effective and efficient alternative for researchers and clinicians. Their work was previously presented as a poster at ISPOR’s annual meeting in May 2022, which can be viewed here. The article can be read on the PHAR publications page and in the Journal of Healthcare Leadership.
Publications
PHAR Discusses Discrimination in CEAs
In collaboration with Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, PHAR developed an issue brief discussing how cost-effectiveness analyses can perpetuate health inequities. Cost-effectiveness analyses are commonly used to compare interventions, but fail to account for a diverse patient population. Read the issue brief here.
PHAR Presents Neurology Research at AMCP 2022
Two studies conducted by PHAR were presented as posters at AMCP 2022. The first study, in partnership with Sunovion Pharmaceuticals, developed clinical consensus on the use of on-demand treatments for Parkinson’s disease (PD) by convening experts to participate in a RAND/UCLA modified Delphi panel. In most evaluated scenarios, panelists agreed on-demand treatment is appropriate for PD patients with OFF episodes, especially for patients experiencing a significant functional impact. The second study, in collaboration with Genentech, presented the interim results of their claims-based algorithm used to identify patients with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD). The algorithm helps distinguish patients with NMOSD from patients with multiple sclerosis and other central nervous system inflammatory disorders, allowing researchers and clinicians to better estimate NMOSD burden. The posters can be viewed on the PHAR publications page and abstracts printed in the March supplement issue of the Journal of Managed Care + Specialty Pharmacy.
PHAR Tests a Claims-Based Algorithm to Identify Patients with Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorder
PHAR, in collaboration with Genentech, presented the interim results of their claims-based algorithm used to identify patients with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) at ACTRIMS 2022. The algorithm helps distinguish patients with NMOSD from patients with multiple sclerosis and other central nervous system inflammatory disorders, allowing researchers and clinicians to better estimate NMOSD burden. The poster can be viewed on the PHAR publications page and the abstract published in the May 2022 supplement of Multiple Sclerosis Journal Online.
PHAR Investigation Questions QALY Use in CEAs
Research conducted by PHAR and supported by Amgen was published in the February 2022 issue of Current Medical Research and Opinion. PHAR’s Jesse Ortendahl, Eunice Chang, PhD, Amanda Harmon, and Michael S. Broder, MD, MSHS analyzed disease burden across 8 different conditions using QALY assessments and other measurement instruments, uncovering possible biases and deficits that may result from the current precedent of using QALYs to measure disease impact in economic evaluations. The manuscript can be found on the PHAR publications page.
PHAR Assesses Healthcare Utilization and Cost Burden in Medicare Beneficiaries with HD
In collaboration with Genentech, PHAR published their analysis of Medicare FFS claims data examining healthcare utilization and costs in a US Medicare population diagnosed with Huntington’s disease (HD). Their investigation quantified healthcare needs and associated costs that were substantially higher among Medicare beneficiaries diagnosed with HD compared to those without, primarily driven by higher outpatient pharmacy utilization. In a stratified analysis, total healthcare costs were highest among beneficiaries with late-stage HD, reflecting the need for effective treatments that delay or prevent disease progression. Their findings can be read in the Journal of Medical Economics, and was previously presented in posters at the 2020 Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP) conference.
PHAR Presents Chronic Myeloid Leukemia Research at ASH 2021
PHAR’s Sheila Reiss Reddy, PhD, RPh, Eunice Chang, PhD, and Marian Tarbox, MPP worked with collaborators at Bristol Myers Squibb to conduct an administrative claims study examining treatment patterns, including duration of dasatinib use after pleural effusion, and healthcare resource utilization and costs among patients with chronic myeloid leukemia treated with dasatinib who experienced a subsequent pleural effusion. The poster was presented at the 63rd Annual Meeting and Exposition of the American Society of Hematology and can be viewed on the PHAR Publications page, and the accompanying abstract published in the November supplement issue of Blood.
PHAR Study Shows Antifibrotic Treatment Reduces Hospitalization and Death in Medicare Beneficiaries with IPF
PHAR’s Sheila Reiss Reddy, PhD, RPh, Eunice Chang, PhD, and Michael S. Broder, MD, MSHS, in collaboration with F. Hoffmann-La Roche/Genentech, Inc., compared mortality and hospitalization between Medicare beneficiaries with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) who initiated antifibrotic therapy and those who did not receive treatment. This retrospective observational study of Medicare beneficiaries using the 100% Medicare Research Identifiable Files showed that antifibrotic treatments reduce hospitalization and death among older patients with advanced age (>80 years), which is a population that has been excluded from key clinical trials despite being disproportionately affected by IPF. The study can be read in the December issue of the Journal of Managed Care + Specialty Pharmacy.
PHAR and Takeda Run Simulation Model to Project Costs of UC Treatment
PHAR, with support from Takeda Pharmaceuticals, produced a Monte Carlo simulation model of projected mean costs for treating patients with moderate to severe ulcerative colitis with either vedolizumab or adalimumab. The investigation found that mean estimated total costs per patient treated with either therapy over 1 year were $14,322 lower for vedolizumab than for adalimumab, which may help to inform formulary decision-making. Jesse Ortendahl, Director of Health Economics at PHAR, presented the findings at the American College of Gastroenterology’s Annual Scientific Meeting & Postgraduate Course. See the poster here, and the abstract published in the October supplement issue of the American Journal of Gastroenterology.
PHAR’s Psoriatic Arthritis Research Presented at AMCP Nexus
Research conducted by PHAR and supported by Amgen was presented in the poster sessions at AMCP Nexus in Denver, CO. PHAR’s claims analysis on psoriatic arthritis (PsA) patients compared biologic initiation risk in systematic-naïve PsA adult patients using apremilast versus methotrexate, building on research previously presented at AMCP 2021 and AAD VMX. The investigators’ findings suggest that patients who initiate apremilast are more adherent and have a lower likelihood of biologic initiation when compared with patients initiating methotrexate. In patients who do need biologics, time to biologic initiation is longer in apremilast users than in methotrexate users. The poster can be viewed on PHAR’s publications page and the abstract was published in the October supplement issue of AMCP’s Journal of Managed Care & Specialty Pharmacy (JMCP).