Share on Facebook
Share on Twitter
Share on LinkedIn
Share by Email
Print
|
This article is part of Pulmonology Advisor‘s coverage of the ACAAI 2019 meeting, taking place in Houston, TX. Our staff will report on medical research related to allergies, asthma, and more conducted by experts in the field. Check back regularly for more news from ACAAI 2019. |
HOUSTON — In a real-world setting, mepolizumab therapy significantly reduced the rate of asthma exacerbations and their related costs. This research was presented at the 2019 Annual Scientific Meeting of the American College of Allergy, Asthma, & Immunology, held November 7 to 11, in Houston, Texas.
In clinical trial populations with exacerbations in the previous year and dosing every 4 weeks, mepolizumab has demonstrated reductions in exacerbation rates by approximately 50%. However, adherence in a real-world setting is not as optimal as it is in clinical trials. Therefore, Investigators of this retrospective study sought to examine the effect of mepolizumab on asthma exacerbations and related costs in a real-world setting.
The data included 346 commercially insured patients aged ≥12 years with an asthma diagnosis who received ≥2 doses of mepolizumab in the first 180 days of follow-up and had no evidence of treatment with any other asthma biologic. Baseline asthma exacerbation rates measured 12 months prior to treatment with mepolizumab were compared with asthma exacerbation rates recorded 12 months following mepolizumab use. A “trial-like” subgroup analysis was performed on patients with ≥2 baseline exacerbations who had received ≥10 doses.
During the follow-up period, treatment with mepolizumab reduced the rate of asthma exacerbations in 37% of the full cohort and in 55% of the trial-like subgroup (P <.001). Costs related to asthma exacerbations were then calculated for the full cohort, in which mepolizumab use was significantly associated with a reduction in costs for both inpatient (P <.006) and outpatient services (P <.001).
The investigators concluded that mepolizumab treatment was effective in reducing both the rate of asthma exacerbations and associated costs in a real-world setting.
|
Visit Pulmonology Advisor‘s conference section for continuous coverage from ACAAI 2019. |
Reference
Hahn B, Ortega H, Bogart M, et al. Real-world impact of mepolizumab on exacerbation reduction and associated cost in patients with asthma. Presented at: American College of Allergy, Asthma, & Immunology Annual Scientific Meeting 2019; November 7-11, 2019; Houston, TX. Abstract P203.
