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Grand TS, Ren S, Hall J, Åström DO, Regnier S, Thokala P. Issues, Challenges and Opportunities for Economic Evaluations of Orphan Drugs in Rare Diseases: An Umbrella Review. PHARMACOECONOMICS 2024; 42:619-631. [PMID: 38616217 PMCID: PMC11126517 DOI: 10.1007/s40273-024-01370-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/03/2024] [Indexed: 04/16/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES There are significant challenges when obtaining clinical and economic evidence for health technology assessments of rare diseases. Many of them have been highlighted in previous systematic reviews but they have not been summarised in a comprehensive manner. For all stakeholders working with rare diseases, it is important to be aware and understand these issues. The objective of this review is to identify the main challenges for the economic evaluation of orphan drugs in rare diseases. METHODS An umbrella review of systematic reviews of economic studies concerned with orphan and ultra-orphan drugs was conducted. Studies that were not systematic reviews, or on advanced therapeutic medicinal products, personalised medicines or other interventions that were not considered orphan drugs were excluded. The database searches included publications from 2010 to 2023, and were conducted in MEDLINE, EMBASE and the Cochrane library using filters for systematic reviews, and economic evaluations and models. These filters were combined with search terms for rare diseases and orphan drugs. A hand search supplemented the literature searches. The findings were reported by a compliant Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) flow diagram. RESULTS Two hundred and eighty-two records were identified from the literature searches, of which 64 were duplicates, whereas five reviews were identified from the hand search. A total of 36 reviews were included after screening against inclusion/exclusion criteria, 35 from literature searches and one from hand searching. Of those studies 1, 27 and 8 were low, moderate and high quality, respectively. The reviews highlight the scarcity of evidence for health economic parameters, for example, clinical effectiveness, costs, quality of life and the natural history of disease. Health economic evaluations such as cost-effectiveness and budget-impact analyses were scarce, and generally low-to-moderate quality. The causes were limited health economic parameters, together with publications bias, especially for cost-effectiveness analyses. CONCLUSIONS The results highlighted issues around a considerable paucity of evidence for economic evaluations and few cost-effectiveness analyses, supporting the notion that a paucity of evidence makes economic evaluations of rare diseases more challenging compared with more prevalent diseases. Furthermore, we provide recommendations for more sustainable approaches in economic evaluations of rare diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tobias Sydendal Grand
- Sheffield Centre for Health and Related Research (SCHARR), University of Sheffield, 30 Regent Street, Sheffield, S1 4DA, UK.
- Lundbeck A/S, Copenhagen, Denmark.
| | - Shijie Ren
- Sheffield Centre for Health and Related Research (SCHARR), University of Sheffield, 30 Regent Street, Sheffield, S1 4DA, UK
| | - James Hall
- Institute of Applied Health Research, Health Economics Unit, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, UK
| | | | | | - Praveen Thokala
- Sheffield Centre for Health and Related Research (SCHARR), University of Sheffield, 30 Regent Street, Sheffield, S1 4DA, UK
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Senn KC, Thiele S, Kummer K, Walter MC, Nagels KH. Cost of illness in inclusion body myositis: results from a cross-sectional study in Germany. Orphanet J Rare Dis 2023; 18:337. [PMID: 37880781 PMCID: PMC10601274 DOI: 10.1186/s13023-023-02902-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2023] [Accepted: 08/31/2023] [Indexed: 10/27/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Inclusion body myositis (IBM) is the most frequent type of myositis in elder patients with a slow chronic progression and refractory to treatment. Previous cost of illness (COI) studies in IBM used claims data to estimate direct costs in the US. No evidence exists globally on both direct and indirect costs in IBM from a societal perspective. We conducted a survey in patients registered in the German IBM patient registry. Self-developed items were used to assess the utilized healthcare resources and estimate the cost. The German Self-Administered Comorbidity Questionnaire (SCQ-D), the sIBM Physical Functioning Assessment (sIFA) and patient-reported measures for satisfaction and improvements in healthcare were applied for an explorative analysis. RESULTS In total, 82 patients completed the survey. We estimated the mean total annual per capita COI of US$102,682 (95% CI US$82,763-US$123,090) in 2021. 92.7% of the total COI were direct costs. Medical costs were similar to nonmedical costs, with substantial costs for pharmacotherapy and informal care. Depending on the prevalence estimate, the total national COI per year were US$42.7 million-US$213.7 million. Significant differences in total COI were identified for the degree of disability, marital and employment status (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS We identified remarkable and heterogenous cost in IBM. As informal care costs represented the most relevant cost driver, caregiver burden is a major factor in the patient journey. For the first time, comprehensive economic potentials were identified as a basis to improve the actual care situations and prioritizing future activities for research, pharmaceutical and digital product development as well as health politics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katja C Senn
- Chair of Healthcare Management and Health Services Research, University of Bayreuth, Parsifalstrasse 25, 95445, Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Simone Thiele
- Department of Neurology, Friedrich Baur Institute, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Ziemssenstrasse 1, 80336, Munich, Germany
| | - Karsten Kummer
- Department of Neurology, University Medical Center Goettingen, 37075, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Maggie C Walter
- Department of Neurology, Friedrich Baur Institute, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Ziemssenstrasse 1, 80336, Munich, Germany
| | - Klaus H Nagels
- Chair of Healthcare Management and Health Services Research, University of Bayreuth, Parsifalstrasse 25, 95445, Bayreuth, Germany.
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Senn KC, Thiele S, Gumbert L, Krause S, Walter MC, Nagels KH. Inclusion body myositis-health-related quality of life and care situation during phases of the "patience journey" in Germany: results from a qualitative study. Health Qual Life Outcomes 2023; 21:111. [PMID: 37817114 PMCID: PMC10566017 DOI: 10.1186/s12955-023-02196-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2023] [Accepted: 09/28/2023] [Indexed: 10/12/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND To understand the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in inclusion body myositis (IBM) from a holistic perspective on the background of a complex care situation. The focus was on how the patient journey may be structured over the course of this rare disease. METHODS An exploratory qualitative study was performed via in-depth semi-structured interviews. Seven patients (males n = 5) with 2011 European Neuromuscular Centre (ENMC) IBM criteria from the German IBM patient registry were interviewed for this study. The dynamic network approach of resilience and the throughput-model of health services research were used to structure the qualitative analysis. RESULTS Our results suggest that IBM patients experience the holistic HRQoL and care situation typically in four phases: (1) uncertainty about physical vulnerability until diagnosis, (2) promising treatment approaches, (3) self-management and dyadic coping, (4) weak body, busy mind and caregiver burden. The homophonous in-vivo code "patience journey" describes the frequently reported emotional perspective of the patient journey. Although the overarching theme of perceived social support varied throughout these phases, a reliable patient-partner-dyad may lead to improved HRQoL in the long-term. CONCLUSIONS New hypotheses for future quantitative research were generated to better understand the IBM patients' burden in the long term. The identified relevance of social support emphasizes the patients' need to handle IBM as manageable in medical settings. During exhausting phases of IBM progression, more effective care elements for patients and their partners could disclose varying needs. Strengthening multi-professional healthcare services via individualised informational, practical, or emotional support could improve HRQoL, especially since there is no curative treatment available so far.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katja C Senn
- University of Bayreuth, Chair of Healthcare Management and Health Services Research, Parsifalstrasse 25, 95445, Bayreuth, Germany.
| | - Simone Thiele
- Department of Neurology, Friedrich Baur Institute, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Ziemssenstrasse 1, 80336, Munich, Germany
| | - Laura Gumbert
- University of Bayreuth, Chair of Healthcare Management and Health Services Research, Parsifalstrasse 25, 95445, Bayreuth, Germany
- SMA Europe, Im Moos 4, 79112, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Sabine Krause
- Department of Neurology, Friedrich Baur Institute, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Ziemssenstrasse 1, 80336, Munich, Germany
| | - Maggie C Walter
- Department of Neurology, Friedrich Baur Institute, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Ziemssenstrasse 1, 80336, Munich, Germany
| | - Klaus H Nagels
- University of Bayreuth, Chair of Healthcare Management and Health Services Research, Parsifalstrasse 25, 95445, Bayreuth, Germany
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Dimitrova M, Jakab I, Mitkova Z, Kamusheva M, Tachkov K, Nemeth B, Zemplenyi A, Dawoud D, Delnoij DMJ, Houýez F, Kalo Z. Potential Barriers of Patient Involvement in Health Technology Assessment in Central and Eastern European Countries. Front Public Health 2022; 10:922708. [PMID: 35968493 PMCID: PMC9371596 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.922708] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2022] [Accepted: 06/13/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Patients' perspectives are important to identify preferences, estimate values and appreciate unmet medical needs in the process of research and development and subsequent assessment of new health technologies. Patient and public involvement in health technology assessment (HTA) is essential in understanding and assessing wider implications of coverage and reimbursement decisions for patients, their relatives, caregivers, and the general population. There are two approaches to incorporating the patients' voice in HTA, preferably used in a mix. In the first one, patients, caregivers and/or their representatives directly participate at discussions in different stages of the HTA process, often at the same table with other stakeholders. Secondly, patient involvement activities can be supported by evidence on patient value and experience collected directly from patients, caregivers and/or their representatives often by patient groups Patient involvement practices, however, are limited in Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries without clear methodology or regulatory mechanisms to guide patient involvement in the HTA process. This poses the question of transferability of practices used in other countries, and might call for the development of new CEE-specific guidelines and methods. In this study we aim to map potential barriers of patient involvement in HTA in countries of the CEE region.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Dimitrova
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Medical University of Sofia, Sofia, Bulgaria
- *Correspondence: Maria Dimitrova
| | - Ivett Jakab
- Syreon Research Institute, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Zornitsa Mitkova
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Medical University of Sofia, Sofia, Bulgaria
| | - Maria Kamusheva
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Medical University of Sofia, Sofia, Bulgaria
| | | | | | - Antal Zemplenyi
- Syreon Research Institute, Budapest, Hungary
- Center for Health Technology Assessment and Pharmacoeconomics Research, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Pécs, Pécs, Hungary
| | - Dalia Dawoud
- National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, London, United Kingdom
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Diana M. J. Delnoij
- Erasmus School of Health Policy and Management, Erasmus University, Rotterdam, Netherlands
- National Health Care Institute (Zorginstituut Nederland), Diemen, Netherlands
| | - François Houýez
- EURORDIS: Eurordis, European Organization for Rare Diseases, Paris, France
| | - Zoltan Kalo
- Syreon Research Institute, Budapest, Hungary
- Center for Health Technology Assessment, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
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Engelhardt M, Ihorst G, Singh M, Rieth A, Saba G, Pellan M, Lebioda A. Real-World Evaluation of Health-Related Quality of Life in Patients With Multiple Myeloma From Germany. CLINICAL LYMPHOMA MYELOMA & LEUKEMIA 2021; 21:e160-e175. [DOI: 10.1016/j.clml.2020.10.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2020] [Revised: 09/25/2020] [Accepted: 10/02/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
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