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.
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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.
Delphi Panel Conducted by PHAR Develops PIK3CA-Related Overgrowth Spectrum Guidelines and Describes Clinical Management
PHAR’s Sarah Gibbs and Michael Broder, in collaboration with Novartis Pharmaceuticals, organized an expert panel to develop guidelines for PIK3CA-related overgrowth spectrum (PROS) severity classification, testing, and medical management. Results were presented at the CLOVES Syndrome Community International Scientific Meeting for PIK3CA Related Conditions and can be read here.
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 Gives HEOR Best Practices Talk at Evidence Matters ’21
Michael Broder, MD, MSHS, President of PHAR, along with Jesse Ortendahl, Director of Health Economics at PHAR, recently spoke at Evidence Matters ’21, a virtual summit for the literature review community. At the meeting, they joined Dr. Patti Peeples of HealthEconomics.com in a session titled “Applying Systematic Reviews to Real-World Evidence Study Design.” The session highlighted how the increase in publications using real-world data impacts systematic literature reviews, along with the use of real-world evidence in other areas such as economic modeling.
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).
PHAR Presents Research at ECTRIMS 2021
Two studies conducted by PHAR were presented at the 37th Congress of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS). The first study, done in partnership with Sanofi US, examined the effectiveness of teriflunomide in patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis (RMS) who switched from other DMTs following disease progression. The authors of this retrospective chart review study observed that RMS patients who switched to teriflunomide after progression may have experienced reductions in EDSS scores and stable or reduced relapse rates. In the second study, PHAR collaborated with Genentech to develop a claims-based algorithm to identify patients with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) and distinguish them 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 website publications page and the abstracts were published in the October supplement issue of Multiple Sclerosis Journal.
PHAR President, Health Economics Director Discuss SR Automation Best Practices
PHAR’s President Michael S. Broder, MD, MSHS, and Director of Health Economics, Jesse Ortendahl, appeared at a roundtable hosted by Evidence Partners and HealthEconomics.com to address questions around how to best automate systematic reviews. With the increasing number of scientific journals over the last few years, using the most effective and up-to-date methods for conducting literature reviews has become a must. Michael and Jesse shared best practices learned conducting systematic reviews over two decades. The pair will also be presenting at EP’s upcoming Evidence Matters ’21.
PHAR Organizes Expert Panel to Develop Consensus for the Management of Neurotrophic Keratopathy
PHAR, with support from Dompé US, Inc., published their synthesis of clinical recommendations for the management of neurotrophic keratopathy (NK), an uncommon, underdiagnosed degenerative corneal disease, in BMC Ophthalmology. The investigators gathered an 11-member expert panel who reviewed published evidence and independently rated 735 patient scenarios using a validated methodology (a RAND/UCLA modified Delphi panel) to develop consensus on when to screen for and how best to diagnose and treat NK. Diagnosis may be delayed in NK because patients experience few symptoms, however, the best opportunity to reverse ocular surface damage and prevent progression is early in the disease course.