Costs of Crohn's Disease According to Severity States in France: A Prospective Observational Study and Statistical Modeling over 10 Years

Assessment of influencing factors of hospitalization expenses for Crohn's disease patients: Based on LASSO and linear mixed model

Aims

Crohn's disease (CD) is a global disease that is dramatically increasing. This study aimed to identify the primary drivers of hospitalization expenses for CD patients to provide guidance on the allocation and control of health care costs.

Methods

This study retrospectively collected the homepage data of the electronic medical records of CD patients in two tertiary hospitals in Zhejiang Province, China, from January 2016 to December 2021. The influencing factors of hospitalization expenses for CD were analyzed. A linear mixed model with least absolute shrinkage (LASSO-LMM) was used to develop a predictive model for hospitalization expenses for CD patients.

Results

A total of 4,437 CD patients were analyzed in this study. CD patients' age, length of hospital stay, admission route, comorbidities, and main treatment were found to be statistically significant variables for CD patients' hospitalization expenses. The AIC and BIC of LASSO-LMM model were 319.033 and 306.241, respectively. Patients who were older, had a longer hospital stay, and had comorbidities had higher hospitalization expenses. The hospitalization expenses of outpatients were lower than those of emergency patients. The weight of surgical treatment was the highest among three treatments (0.602).

Conclusions

Identifying and examining factors that influence hospitalization expenses for CD patients can help to control healthcare expenditures. Treatment mode was the most important impact on CD hospitalization expenses. Medical security departments can consider implement personalized and precise hospitalization expense compensation scheme base on LASSO-LMM prediction model in the future.

Efficacy of switching from infliximab to golimumab in patients with ulcerative colitis in deep remission

BACKGROUND-AIM

Intravenously administered biologicals are associated with a huge pressure to Infusion Units and increased cost. We aimed to assess the impact of switching infliximab to golimumab in ulcerative colitis (UC) patients in deep remission. Patients and method: In a prospective, single-centre pilot study UC patients on infliximab mono-therapy for = 2 years, whowere in deep remission, consented to switch to golimumab and were followed for 1 year with clinical assessment, serum and faecal biomarkers, work productivity, satisfaction with treatment and quality of life parameters. Endoscopic remission was assessed by colonoscopy at 1 year. Patients fulfilling the same inclusion criteria, who did not consent to switch to golimumab and continued to receive infliximab mono-therapy, for the same period, served as controls.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

In a prospective, single-centre pilot study UC patients on infliximab mono-therapy for ≥ 2 years, who were in deep remission, consented to switch to golimumab and were followed for 1 year with clinical assessment, serum and faecal biomarkers, work productivity, satisfaction with treatment and quality of life parameters. Endoscopic remission was assessed by colonoscopy at 1 year. Patients fulfilling the same inclusion criteria, who did not consent to switch to golimumab and continued to receive infliximab mono-therapy, for the same period, served as controls.

RESULTS

Between October 2015 and October 2017, 20 patients were recruited; however one patient stopped therapy because of pregnancy. All 19 patients who were switched to golimumab were still in clinical, biomarker and endoscopic remission at 1 year and maintained excellent quality of life without any complications. In the control group, 18 of 19 patients were also in deep remission, since only one patient had a flare which was managed with IFX dose intensification. During a median 3 years extension treatment with golimumab only 2 patients experienced a flare of colitis.

CONCLUSIONS

This pilot study indicates that switching from in-fliximab to golimumab in UC patients in deep remission does not compromise treatment effectiveness or the course of disease; golimumab offers a valid alternative to intravenous infliximab infusions during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Shifting Cost-drivers of Health Care Expenditures in Inflammatory Bowel Disease

BACKGROUND

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) are costly, chronic illnesses. Key cost-drivers of IBD health care expenditures include pharmaceuticals and unplanned care, but evolving treatment approaches have shifted these factors. We aimed to assess changes in cost of care, determine shifts in IBD cost-drivers, and examine differences by socioeconomic and insurance status over time.

METHODS

The Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS), a nationally representative database that collects data on health care utilization and expenditures from a nationally representative sample since 1998, was utilized. Adult subjects with IBD were identified by ICD-9 codes. To determine changes in per-patient costs or cost-drivers unique to IBD, a control population of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) subjects was generated and matched in 1:1 case to control. Total annual health care expenditures were obtained and categorized as outpatient, inpatient, emergency, or pharmacy related. Temporal cohorts from 1998 to 2015 were created to assess change over time. Per-patient expenditures were compared by disease state and temporal cohort using weighted generalized linear models.

RESULTS

A total of 641 IBD subjects were identified and matched to 641 RA individuals. From 1998 to 2015, median total annual health care expenditures nearly doubled (adjusted estimate 2.20; 95% CI, 1.6-3.0) and were 36% higher in IBD compared with RA. In IBD, pharmacy expenses increased 7% to become the largest cost-driver (44% total expenditures). Concurrently, inpatient spending in IBD decreased by 40%. There were no significant differences in the rate of change of cost-drivers in IBD compared with RA.

CONCLUSIONS

Per-patient health care costs for chronic inflammatory conditions have nearly doubled over the last 20 years. Increases in pharmaceutical spending in IBD may be accompanied by reduction in inpatient care. Additional studies are needed to explore patient-, disease-, system-, and industry-level cost mitigation strategies.

Increased incidence of systemic serious viral infections in patients with inflammatory bowel disease associates with active disease and use of thiopurines

Background

The magnitude and drivers of the risk of serious viral infections in Inflammatory Bowel diseases (IBD) are unclear.

Objective

The objective of this study was to assess the incidence and risk factors for systemic serious viral infections in IBD patients.

Methods

Using MICISTA, a database detailing prospective characteristics and complications of IBD, we identified patients that were followed for IBD in 2005-2014 outside the context of organ transplantation, HIV infection or chronic viral hepatitis. We estimated incidences of systemic serious viral infections, defined by the need for hospitalization or permanent organ damage. Standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) were calculated using the French hospital database. We performed a case-control study nested in MICISTA for assessing the role of exposure to IBD drugs and IBD clinical activity in the risk of developing infection.

Results

We identified 31 patients with serious viral infections among 2645 patients followed for 15,383 person-years. We observed 13 cases of cytomegalovirus, 10 Epstein-Barr virus, 5 varicella zoster virus and 3 herpes simplex virus infections. No deaths occurred. The incidence rate of infections in patients with IBD was 2.02/1000 person-years, and the SIR was 3.09 (95% confidence interval (CI), 1.98-4.20; p = 0.0002) in the study population. By multivariate analysis, increased risk of infection was associated with exposure to thiopurines (odds ratio (OR), 3.48; 95% CI, 1.36-8.90; p = 0.009), and clinically active IBD at onset of infection (OR, 3.35; 95% CI, 1.23-9.23; p = 0.02).

Conclusions

The incidence of systemic serious viral infections in patients with IBD is tripled compared to general population. Clinically active IBD and exposure to thiopurines are the main drivers of the risk.

Cost-of-illness of inflammatory bowel disease patients treated with anti-tumour necrosis factor: A French large single-centre experience

Background

No study has evaluated the direct annual costs of inflammatory bowel disease patients treated with anti-tumour necrosis factor therapy.

Objectives

The purpose of this study was to identify annual direct costs and main cost drivers of anti-tumour necrosis factor-treated inflammatory bowel disease patients.

Methods

All inflammatory bowel disease patients treated with infliximab or adalimumab at Nancy University Hospital were consecutively screened for inclusion from November 2016-February 2017. Data about hospitalisation, surgery, medication, outpatient visits, investigations and transport over the previous 12 months were retrospectively collected.

Results

A total of 108 patients (n = 83 Crohn's disease; n = 25 ulcerative colitis) were included. The mean annual cost per patient was €15,775 (standard deviation €7221), with no difference between Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis (p = 0.2). The main cost driver was medication, which accounted for 84% of the total direct cost. Hospitalisation and surgery represented 11% and 2% of the direct costs. History of switch to another anti-tumour necrosis factor treatment was identified as the only independent predictor of greater direct costs in the multivariate analysis (p = 0.0018).

Conclusions

In a French tertiary referral centre, direct costs of anti-tumour necrosis factor therapy-treated patients were mainly driven by medication, while hospitalisation and surgery represented only a minor part of the costs. There was no difference between Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis patients.

Cost-effectiveness of ustekinumab in moderate to severe Crohn's disease in Sweden

BACKGROUND

Human monoclonal antibody ustekinumab is a novel Crohn's disease (CD) treatment blocking pro-inflammatory cytokines interleukin-12 and 23. The study's objective was to assess cost-effectiveness of ustekinumab in moderate to severely active CD in Sweden.

METHODS

A cost-effectiveness model with an induction phase decision-tree structure and a maintenance phase Markov cohort structure was constructed. CD was represented by five health-states: remission, mild, moderate-severe, surgery and death. Ustekinumab was compared to adalimumab in patients who had failed conventional care, some of which had tried TNF-alpha-inhibitor(s) without experiencing treatment failure or side effects ("conventional care failure population") and to vedolizumab in patients previously failing TNF-alpha-inhibitor treatment. Discontinuation probabilities, utilities and ustekinumab induction efficacy were sourced from phase-III trials. Maintenance and comparator efficacy came from network-meta and treatment-sequence analyses. Resource use and unit costs were derived from literature and validated by clinical experts. The analysis had a societal perspective, a life-time time-horizon, and 2-year treatment duration. The results robustness was tested in univariate and probabilistic sensitivity analyses. Cost-effectiveness was estimated using quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs).

RESULTS

Ustekinumab dominated adalimumab in conventional care failure population (costs: - €6984, QALYs: + 0.232). In TNF-alpha-inhibitor failure population ustekinumab accrued 0.133 more QALYs than vedolizumab, yielding a €30,282 incremental cost-effectiveness ratio. Results were sensitive to decreasing the time horizon and increased treatment duration. At Swedish reference willingness-to-pay of €63,000 (SEK 600,000), ustekinumab had 94% probability of being cost-effective versus adalimumab, and 72% versus vedolizumab.

CONCLUSIONS

Results indicate ustekinumab dominates adalimumab in conventional care failure population, and is cost-effective versus vedolizumab in TNF-alpha-inhibitor failure population.