Measurement of Utilities Associated with Parenteral Support Requirement in Patients with Short Bowel Syndrome and Intestinal Failure

Assessment of health state utilities associated with adult and pediatric acid sphingomyelinase deficiency (ASMD)

INTRODUCTION

Acid sphingomyelinase deficiency (ASMD) type B is a rare genetic disorder leading to enlargement of the spleen and liver, pulmonary dysfunction, and other symptoms. Cost-utility analyses are often conducted to quantify the value of new treatments, and these analyses require health state utilities. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to estimate utilities associated with varying levels of severity of adult and pediatric ASMD type B.

METHODS

Seven adult and seven child health state vignettes describing ASMD were developed based on published literature, clinical trial results, and interviews with clinicians, patients with ASMD, and parents of children with ASMD. The health states were valued in time trade-off interviews with adult general population respondents in the UK.

RESULTS

Interviews were completed with 202 participants (50.0% female; mean age = 41.3 years). The health state representing ASMD without impairment had the highest mean utility for both the adult and child health states (0.92/0.94), and severe ASMD had the lowest mean utility (0.33/0.45). Every child health state had a significantly greater utility than the corresponding adult health state. Differences between adult/child paired states ranged from 0.02 to 0.13. Subgroup analyses explored the impact of parenting status on valuation of child health states.

DISCUSSION

Greater severity of ASMD was associated with lower mean utility. Results have implications for valuation of pediatric health states. The resulting utilities may be useful in cost-utility modeling estimating the value of treatment for ASMD.

A Systematic Review of Quality of Life in Patients with Short Bowel Syndrome and Their Caregivers

Purpose

Understanding the quality of life and the factors that influence it for patients with short bowel syndrome (SBS) and their caregivers is of utmost importance in order to enhance their well-being. Therefore, This study aimed to provide a comprehensive understanding of the impact of SBS on patients and their caregivers, as well as its associated factors, by synthesizing the available evidence.

Methods

A systematic review of the literature was done using PubMed, Embase databases, CNKI, and ISPOR conference papers. Included articles were manually searched to identify any other relevant studies. Quality was assessed using appropriate Joanna Briggs Institute critical appraisal tools.

Results

This review included 16 studies, comprising 15 observational studies and 1 randomized controlled trial. The findings revealed that the QoL of patients with SBS was lower than that of the general population regarding physical functioning and psychological domain. Meanwhile, caregivers experienced challenges in maintaining their QoL. The QoL of SBS patients was found to be influenced by various factors such as treatment, age, sex, stoma, and small intestine length. Among them, the treatment is the most noteworthy factor that can be effectively improved through external interventions.

Conclusion

While numerous studies have provided insights into the compromised QoL experienced by individuals with SBS and their caregivers, there remains a scarcity of large-sample quantitative investigations examining the determinants of QoL. The existing body of literature on caregivers is also notably deficient.

From intestinal failure to transplantation: Review on the current need for transplant indications under multidisciplinary transplant programs worldwide

INTRODUCTION

Intestinal failure, defined as the loss of gastrointestinal function to the point where nutrition cannot be maintained by enteral intake alone, presents numerous challenges in children, not least the timing of consideration of intestine transplantation.

OBJECTIVES

To describe the evolution of care of infants and children with intestinal failure including parenteral nutrition, intestine transplantation, and contemporary intestinal failure care.

METHODS

The review is based on the authors' experience supported by an in-depth review of the published literature.

RESULTS

The history of parenteral nutrition, including out-patient (home) administration, and intestine transplantation are reviewed along with the complications of intestinal failure that may become indications for consideration of intestine transplantation. Current management strategies for children with intestinal failure are discussed along with changes in need for intestine transplantation, recognizing the difficulty in generalizing recommendations due to the high level of heterogeneity of intestinal pathology and residual bowel anatomy and function.

DISCUSSION

Advances in the medical and surgical care of children with intestinal failure have resulted in improved transplant-free survival and a significant fall in demand for transplantation. Despite these improvements a number of children continue to fail rehabilitative care and require intestine transplantation as life-saving therapy or when the burden on ongoing parenteral nutrition becomes too great to bear.

Cost-effectiveness of teduglutide in adult patients with short bowel syndrome - a European socioeconomic perspective

BACKGROUND

Short bowel syndrome with intestinal failure (SBS-IF) is a rare but devastating medical condition. An absolute loss of bowel length forces the patients into parenteral support dependency and a variety of medical sequelae, resulting in increased morbidity and mortality. Interdisciplinary treatment may include therapy with the effective but expensive intestinotrophic peptide teduglutide.

OBJECTIVES

A time-discrete Markov model was developed to simulate the treatment effect [lifetime costs, quality-adjusted life years (QALYs), and life years (LYs)] of teduglutide plus best supportive care compared with best supportive care alone in patients with SBS-IF.

METHODS

The health status of the model was structured around the number of days on PS. Clinical data from 3 data sets were used: 1) an Austrian observational study (base case), 2) pooled observational cohort studies, and 3) a prospective study of teduglutide effectiveness in parenteral nutrition-dependent short bowel syndrome subjects. Direct and indirect costs were derived from published sources. QALYs, LYs, and costs were discounted (3% per annum).

RESULTS

Under the base case assumption, teduglutide is associated with costs of 2,296,311 € per patient and 10.78 QALYs (13.74 LYs) over a lifetime horizon. No teduglutide is associated with 1,236,816 € and 2.24 QALYs (8.57 LYs). The incremental cost-utility ratio (ICUR) amounts to 123,945 €. In case of the pooled clinical data set, the ICUR increases to 184,961 €. If clinical data based on the study of teduglutide effectiveness in parenteral nutrition-dependent short bowel syndrome subjects were used, the ICUR increased to 235,612 €.

CONCLUSIONS

Teduglutide in treating patients with SBS-IF meets the traditional cost-effectiveness criteria from a European societal perspective. Nevertheless, the varying concentrations of teduglutide efficacy leave a degree of uncertainty in the calculations.

Cost-utility analysis of 4% tetrasodium ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, taurolidine, and heparin lock to prevent central line-associated bloodstream infections in children with intestinal failure

BACKGROUND

Central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI) are a serious complication in children with intestinal failure. This study assessed the incremental costs of 4% tetrasodium ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) compared with taurolidine lock and heparin lock per quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) gained in children with intestinal failure from the healthcare payer and societal perspective.

METHODS

A Markov cohort model of a 1-year-old child with intestinal failure was simulated until the age of 17 years (time horizon), with a cycle length of 1 month. The health outcome measure was QALYs, with results expressed in terms of incremental costs and QALYs. Model parameters were obtained from published literature and institutional data. Deterministic, probabilistic, and scenario sensitivity analyses were performed.

RESULTS

4% Tetrasodium EDTA was dominant (more effective and less expensive) compared with taurolidine and heparin, yielding an additional 0.17 QALYs with savings of CAD$88,277 compared with heparin, and an additional 0.06 QALYs with savings of CAD$52,120 compared with taurolidine lock from the healthcare payer perspective. From the societal perspective, 4% tetrasodium EDTA resulted in savings of CAD$90,696 compared with heparin and savings of CAD$36,973 compared with taurolidine lock.

CONCLUSIONS

This model-based analysis indicates that 4% tetrasodium EDTA can be considered the optimal strategy compared with taurolidine and heparin in terms of cost-effectiveness. The decision uncertainty can be reduced by conducting further research on the model input parameters. An expected value of perfect information analysis can identify what model input parameters would be most valuable to focus on.

Cost-utility analysis of teduglutide compared to standard care in weaning parenteral nutrition support in children with short bowel syndrome

BACKGROUND & AIMS

A growing proportion of children with short bowel syndrome (SBS) remain dependent on long-term parenteral nutrition (PN). Teduglutide offers the potential for more children to decrease PN support and achieve enteral autonomy (EA), but at a significant expense. This study aims to assess the incremental costs of teduglutide plus standard of care compared to standard of care alone in weaning PN support per quality-adjusted life year (QALY) gained in children with SBS.

METHODS

This is a cost-utility analysis comparing teduglutide with standard of care alone in children with SBS. A microsimulation model of children with SBS on PN aged 1-17 years was constructed over a time horizon of six years, with a cycle length of one month. The study adopted the healthcare system and societal payer perspectives in Ontario, Canada. The health outcome measure was QALYs, with results expressed in terms of incremental costs and QALYs. Scenario analyses were performed to examine the effects of different time horizons, timing of teduglutide initiation, and modeling cost of teduglutide based on pediatric weight-dosing.

RESULTS

Incremental healthcare system costs for teduglutide compared to standard of care were CAD$441,314 (95% CI, 414,006 to 441,314) and incremental QALYs were 1.80 (95% CI, 1.70 to 1.89) resulting in an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of CAD$285,334 (95% CI, 178,209 to 392,459) per QALY gained. Incremental societal costs were CAD$418,504 (95% CI, 409,487 to 427,522) and incremental societal QALYs were 1.91 (95% CI, 1.85 to 1.98) resulting in an ICER of CAD$261,880 (95% CI, 136,887 to 386,874) per QALY gained. Scenario analysis showed that teduglutide was cost-effective when it was started two years after intestinal resection (ICER CAD$48,741, 95% CI, 17,317 to 80,165) and when its monthly cost was adjusted using weight-based dosing, avoiding wastage of the remaining 5 mg dose vial (Teduglutide dominated over SOC as the less costly and most effective strategy).

CONCLUSIONS

Although teduglutide was not cost-effective in weaning PN support in children with SBS, starting teduglutide once natural intestinal adaptation is reduced and adjusting its monthly cost to reflect cost by volume as dictated by weight-based dosing rendered the intervention cost-effective relative to standard of care. These results indicate the potential for clinicians to re-assess optimal time for initiation of teduglutide after intestinal resection, drug manufacturers to consider the use of multi-dose or paediatric-dose vials, and the opportunity for decision-makers to re-evaluate teduglutide funding.

ESPEN guideline on chronic intestinal failure in adults - Update 2023

BACKGROUND & AIMS

In 2016, ESPEN published the guideline for Chronic Intestinal Failure (CIF) in adults. An updated version of ESPEN guidelines on CIF due to benign disease in adults was devised in order to incorporate new evidence since the publication of the previous ESPEN guidelines.

METHODS

The grading system of the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) was used to grade the literature. Recommendations were graded according to the levels of evidence available as A (strong), B (conditional), 0 (weak) and Good practice points (GPP). The recommendations of the 2016 guideline (graded using the GRADE system) which were still valid, because no studies supporting an update were retrieved, were reworded and re-graded accordingly.

RESULTS

The recommendations of the 2016 guideline were reviewed, particularly focusing on definitions, and new chapters were included to devise recommendations on IF centers, chronic enterocutaneous fistulas, costs of IF, caring for CIF patients during pregnancy, transition of patients from pediatric to adult centers. The new guideline consist of 149 recommendations and 16 statements which were voted for consensus by ESPEN members, online in July 2022 and at conference during the annual Congress in September 2022. The Grade of recommendation is GPP for 96 (64.4%) of the recommendations, 0 for 29 (19.5%), B for 19 (12.7%), and A for only five (3.4%). The grade of consensus is "strong consensus" for 148 (99.3%) and "consensus" for one (0.7%) recommendation. The grade of consensus for the statements is "strong consensus" for 14 (87.5%) and "consensus" for two (12.5%).

CONCLUSIONS

It is confirmed that CIF management requires complex technologies, multidisciplinary and multiprofessional activity, and expertise to care for the underlying gastrointestinal disease and to provide HPN support. Most of the recommendations were graded as GPP, but almost all received a strong consensus.

Cost-effectiveness of ethanol lock prophylaxis to prevent central line-associated bloodstream infections in children with intestinal failure in the United States

INTRODUCTION

Central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs) lead to significant morbidity and mortality in children with intestinal failure (IF). Ethanol lock prophylaxis (ELP) greatly reduces CLABSI frequency with minimal side effects. However, in the United States, a recently approved orphan drug designation for dehydrated alcohol has greatly increased 70% ethanol cost from about $10/day to $1000/day. We examined the cost-effectiveness of ELP in relation to these changes.

METHODS

We simulated a previously developed IF Markov model over 1 year. Costs were measured in 2020 US dollars and effectiveness in quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs). CLABSI rate with and without ELP was estimated from the largest available comparative observational study. The primary outcome was incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) between treatments. Secondary outcomes included CLABSI frequency. Sensitivity analyses on all model parameters were performed.

RESULTS

In the base model, children with IF not using ELP accumulated $131,815 in costs and 0.32 QALYs per patient compared with $437,884 and 0.33 QALYs per patient in those using ELP. The ICER was nearly $17 million/QALY gained. ELP resulted in a 40% reduction in CLABSI frequency. ELP became cost-effective at $68/day and cost-saving at $63/day. Sensitivity analysis identified no other plausible parameter variation to reach the benchmark of $100,000/QALY gained.

CONCLUSIONS

At the current price, ELP is not cost-effective for CLABSI prevention in children with IF in the United States. This study highlights the critical need for the approval of an affordable lock therapy option to prevent CLABSIs in these children.

New Insights Into the Indications for Intestinal Transplantation: Consensus in the Year 2019

In 2001, a Statement was published that described indications for intestinal transplantation in patients with intestinal failure expected to require parenteral nutrition indefinitely. Since 2001, advances in the management of intestinal failure including transplantation and patient survival, both on extended parenteral nutrition and after transplantation, have improved, leading to a reduction in the number of intestinal transplants worldwide from a peak of 270 per year in 2008 to 149 per year in 2017. These changes suggest that the original 2001 Statement requires reassessment. All patients with permanent intestinal failure should be managed by dedicated multidisciplinary intestinal rehabilitation teams. Under care of these teams, patients should be considered for intestinal transplantation in the event of progressive intestinal failure-associated liver disease, progressive loss of central vein access, and repeated life-threatening central venous catheter-associated infections requiring critical care. Additional indications for transplantation include large desmoid tumors and other intra-abdominal tumors with reasonable expectation of posttransplant cure, extensive mesenteric vein thrombosis and intestinal infarction, total intestinal aganglionosis, and nonrecoverable congenital secretory diarrhea. Quality of life typically improves after successful intestinal transplantation and may support the decision to proceed with transplantation when other indications are present. However, the requirement for life-long immunosuppression and its associated side effects preclude intestinal transplantation if motivated only by an expectation of improved quality of life. Increasing experience with intestinal transplantation and critical appraisal of transplant outcomes including graft survival and patient quality of life together with potential advances in immunosuppression can be expected to influence transplant practices in the future.

Cost-effectiveness of teduglutide in pediatric patients with short bowel syndrome: Markov modeling using traditional cost-effectiveness criteria

BACKGROUND

Teduglutide use in pediatric patients with short bowel syndrome can aid in the achievement of enteral autonomy, but with a price of >$400,000 per y.

OBJECTIVE

The current study evaluated the cost-effectiveness of using teduglutide in conjunction with offering intestinal transplantation in US pediatric patients with short bowel syndrome.

DESIGN

A Markov model was used to evaluate the costs (in US dollars) and effectiveness [in quality-adjusted life years (QALYs)] of using teduglutide compared with offering intestinal transplantation. Parameters were estimated from published data where available. The primary effect modeled was the probability of weaning from parenteral nutrition while on teduglutide. Sensitivity analyses were performed on all model parameters.

RESULTS

Compared with offering only intestinal transplantation, adding teduglutide cost ${\$}$124,353/QALY gained. Reducing the cost of the medication by 16% allowed the cost to reach the typical benchmark of ${\$}$100,000/QALY gained. Probabilistic sensitivity analysis favored transplantation without offering teduglutide in 68% of iterations at a ${\$}$100,000/QALY threshold. Never using teduglutide created an opportunity cost of over ${\$}$100,000 per patient.

CONCLUSIONS

At its current price, teduglutide does not provide a cost-effective addition to transplantation in the treatment of pediatric short bowel syndrome. Further work should look to identify cost-reducing strategies, including alternative dosing regimens.

Cost-effectiveness of teduglutide in adult patients with short bowel syndrome: Markov modeling using traditional cost-effectiveness criteria

BACKGROUND

Adults with short bowel syndrome have a high mortality and significant morbidity due to unsuccessful attempts at rehabilitation that necessitate chronic use of parenteral nutrition (PN). Teduglutide is a novel therapy that promotes intestinal adaptation to improve rehabilitation but with a price >$400,000/y.

OBJECTIVE

The current study evaluated the cost-effectiveness of using teduglutide in US adult patients with short bowel syndrome.

METHODS

A Markov model evaluated the costs (in US dollars) and effectiveness (in quality-adjusted life years, or QALYs) of treatment compared with no teduglutide use, with a presumed starting age of 40 y. Parameters were obtained from published data or estimation. The primary effect modeled was the increased likelihood of reduced PN days per week when using teduglutide, leading to greater quality of life and lower PN costs. Sensitivity analyses were performed on all model parameters.

RESULTS

In the base scenario, teduglutide cost $949,910/QALY gained. In 1-way sensitivity analyses, only reducing teduglutide cost decreased the cost/QALY gained to below the typical threshold of $100,000/QALY gained. Specifically, teduglutide cost would need to be reduced by >65% for it to reach the threshold value. Probabilistic sensitivity analysis favored no teduglutide use in 80% of iterations at a $100,000/QALY threshold. However, teduglutide therapy was cost-saving in 13% of model iterations.

CONCLUSIONS

Teduglutide does not meet a traditional cost-effectiveness threshold as treatment for PN reduction in adult patients with short bowel syndrome compared with standard intestinal rehabilitation. Subpopulations that demonstrate maximum benefit could be cost-saving, and complete nonuse could lead to financial loss. Teduglutide becomes economically reasonable only if its cost is substantially reduced.