Treatment pathways of Japanese prostate cancer patients - A retrospective transition analysis with administrative data

Real-world medication persistence among HIV-1 patients initiating integrase inhibitor-based antiretroviral therapy in Japan

INTRODUCTION

Medication persistence has rarely been studied for integrase strand transfer inhibitor (INSTI)-based regimens among patients living HIV (PLWH) in Asia. This study investigated medication persistence for newly prescribed INSTI-based regimens in Japan by comparing single-tablet regimens (STRs) versus multiple-tablet regimens (MTRs), based on the Medical Data Vision database.

METHODS

Adult PLWH with ≥2 claims for antiretroviral therapy (ART) of interest between 1 January 2017 and 30 June 2018 were included if they had a ≥3-month continuous enrolment prior to the index date and a ≥6-month follow-up after the index date. Medication persistence was measured as the duration from initiation to discontinuation of the prescribed INSTI-based regimen.

RESULTS

Overall, 487 patients were included, with 220 in the STR cohort and 267 in the MTR cohort. Persistence was longer in the STR cohort than in the MTR cohort (mean days on the index regimens: 384.2 vs. 317.3, P < 0.001). MTRs were associated with a higher risk of discontinuation than STRs (hazard ratio [HR], 1.72; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.18-2.52; P = 0.005). Other factors that were associated with discontinuation were backbone (emtricitabine/tenofovir disoproxil fumarate vs. emtricitabine/tenofovir alafenamide: HR, 5.64; 95% CI, 3.68-8.66; P < 0.001), third agent (raltegravir vs. elvitegravir/cobicistat: HR, 2.06; 95% CI, 1.10-3.86; P = 0.024), age (HR, 1.02; 95% CI, 1.01-1.03; P = 0.007), and the number of non-ART index medications (HR, 1.16; 95% CI, 1.12-1.21; P < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Among PLWH newly prescribed an INSTI-based regimen in Japan, STRs were associated with longer persistence than MTRs.

Treatment Pattern for Advanced Gastric Cancer in Japan and Factors Associated with Sequential Treatment: A Retrospective Administrative Claims Database Study

Introduction

Clinical trials have proven the efficacy and safety of new therapies for advanced gastric cancer (AGC), but how those therapies are used in the real world is poorly described. Real-world treatment patterns of antitumor therapies and factors associated with overall therapy duration in patients with AGC in Japan were investigated.

Methods

This retrospective cohort study used a Japanese administrative claims database (June 2014 to September 2019). Patients with AGC who started the guideline-recommended first-line combination regimens with platinum and fluoropyrimidine agents between June 2015 and July 2019 were included. Cox regression analysis was performed to identify factors associated with overall therapy duration (first line to last administration of guideline-listed agent).

Results

Of the 10,581 patients included, the most common first-line combination regimen without trastuzumab was S-1 plus oxaliplatin (4327/9069 patients; 47.7%) and with trastuzumab was capecitabine plus cisplatin (608/1512 patients; 40.2%). Most common second- and third-line regimens were ramucirumab plus taxane (3650/5358 patients; 68.1%) and nivolumab (1229/2390 patients; 51.4%), respectively. Factors positively associated with longer overall therapy duration were: oral fluoropyrimidine in first line (hazard ratio [95% confidence interval]: 0.63 [0.57–0.69]); trastuzumab in any line (0.73 [0.68–0.78]); treatment at a designated cancer hospital (0.89 [0.84–0.94]); dietary consultation within 1 month before/after start of first line (0.92 [0.86–0.98]); and treatment at a surgical department (0.94 [0.89–0.99]). Negatively associated factors were: edema (1.21 [1.07–1.37]); physical therapy (1.21 [1.12–1.31]); nutritional intervention (1.21 [1.14–1.28]) within 1 month before/after start of first line; thrombosis (1.13 [1.04–1.23]); renal disease (1.11 [1.02–1.21]); age (1.07 [1.02–1.13]); and peritoneal metastasis/ascites (1.06 [1.01–1.13]).

Conclusions

In real-world treatment practice for AGC in Japan, therapy choice after the recommended first-line chemotherapy was consistent with guidelines. Factors associated with overall therapy duration were identified, which may assist in optimizing treatment sequence.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12325-021-01931-3.

Enzalutamide with androgen deprivation therapy in Japanese men with metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer: A subgroup analysis of the phase III ARCHES study

Objective

To evaluate the efficacy and safety of enzalutamide plus androgen deprivation therapy in Japanese men with metastatic hormone‐sensitive prostate cancer.

Methods

A post‐hoc analysis of the Japanese subgroup in the phase III, randomized, multinational ARCHES study (NCT02677896) was carried out. Patients with metastatic hormone‐sensitive prostate cancer were randomized to receive enzalutamide or a placebo, plus androgen deprivation therapy, stratified by disease volume and prior docetaxel therapy. The primary end‐point was radiographic progression‐free survival. Secondary end‐points included time to prostate‐specific antigen progression and overall survival.

Results

Of 1150 patients, 92 Japanese patients were randomized to enzalutamide (n = 36) or a placebo (n = 56), plus androgen deprivation therapy; none received prior docetaxel. Enzalutamide plus androgen deprivation therapy reduced the risk of radiographic progression or death in Japanese patients by 61% versus the placebo, similar to the overall population. Similar results were observed with secondary end‐points, showing clinical benefit of enzalutamide plus androgen deprivation therapy in Japanese patients. Overall survival data were immature. Grade 3–4 adverse events were reported in 47% and 25% of the enzalutamide and placebo groups, respectively. Nasopharyngitis, hypertension and abnormal hepatic function were reported more frequently in Japanese patients versus the overall population.

Conclusions

Enzalutamide plus androgen deprivation therapy has clinical benefit with a tolerable safety profile in Japanese men with metastatic hormone‐sensitive prostate cancer, consistent with the overall population.

Clostridioides (Clostridium) difficile infection in Japanese hospitals 2008-2017: A real-world nationwide analysis of treatment pattern, incidence and testing density

OBJECTIVE

To characterize treatment pattern, incidence and diagnosis of hospital-onset Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) in Japan, cases were studied over a 9-year period using a large, administrative database.

METHODS

This was a retrospective, cross-sectional analysis of inpatients at 320 Japanese Diagnosis-Procedure Combination (DPC) hospitals. Hospitalizations between April 2008 and March 2017 were extracted for patients aged ≥18 years. CDI was defined as CDI treatment plus CDI diagnosis or positive enzyme immunoassay (EIA) result. Endpoints included treatment (type, route, daily dose, duration), time to CDI onset from admission, and time to recurrence (rCDI) from the end of treatment. Chronological changes were reported for treatment pattern, CDI incidence and EIA testing.

RESULTS

The analysis included 11,823 CDI hospitalizations, 1359 with rCDI. Overall, oral metronidazole (MNZ), oral vancomycin (VCM), and intravenous MNZ were used in 50.2%, 42.1% and 1.2% of CDI hospitalizations, respectively. From 2009 to 2017, CDI hospitalizations treated with MNZ more than doubled and VCM more than halved. Median (Q1-Q3) time to CDI and rCDI onset was 25 (11-52) days and 10 (6-17.5) days, respectively. Median treatment duration ranged from 8 to 10 days and median dose was 1 g/day for both MNZ and VCM. CDI incidence remained steady from 2010 until 2017 (0.99/10,000 patient-days) and EIA testing density doubled from 2008 to 2017 (24.46/10,000 patient-days).

CONCLUSION

Oral MNZ has become the primary CDI treatment in Japanese DPC hospitals. The treatment duration and dose were aligned to the package insert. CDI diagnostic testing density increased over time, CDI incidence did not.

CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

N/A.

Treatment characteristics for nonmetastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer in the United States, Europe and Japan

Aim: We conducted this study to describe nonmetastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (nmCRPC) patient characteristics and treatment patterns in the US, Europe and Japan. Materials & methods: Descriptive analyses were conducted using the 2015–2017 Ipsos Global Oncology Monitor Database. Results: A total of 2065 (442 in the US, 509 in Europe and 1114 in Japan) patients (median age: 74–80 years; stage III at diagnosis : 38.5%; Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group [ECOG] score ≤1: 79.4%; treated by urologist : 88.4%) were included in the analytic cohort. Luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone agonists and antiandrogens were the most commonly used first regimen treatments. With subsequent nmCRPC regimens their use decreased, while the use of chemotherapy, corticosteroids, androgen synthesis inhibitors and second-generation androgen receptor inhibitors increased. Conclusion: These data represent real-world treatment patterns in nmCRPC.

Characterization and risk factors for recurrence of Clostridioides (Clostridium) difficile infection in Japan: A nationwide real-world analysis using a large hospital-based administrative dataset

OBJECTIVE

Recurrent Clostridioides (Clostridium) difficile infection (rCDI) is common and increases healthcare resource utilization. In this study, we assessed rCDI risk factors using an up-to-date, Japanese national hospital-based database.

METHODS

C. difficile infection (CDI) episodes, occurring July 2014-June 2017, in patients aged ≥18 years were extracted from the database and a nested case-control analysis was performed. Cases were defined as rCDI episodes which required re-initiation of oral vancomycin or oral/intravenous metronidazole treatment within 8 weeks from the start of initial treatment. Cases were matched to 4 non-rCDI episodes at the timing of rCDI occurrence. Adjusted odds ratios (ORs) were estimated using multivariate conditional logistic regression model.

RESULTS

Of 18,246 initial CDI episodes, 3250 (17.8%) had at least one rCDI. Approximately 90% of episodes occurred in inpatients and 65% were treated with metronidazole. Older age (<75 years vs 75-84 years and vs 85 + years) was associated with higher risk of rCDI (OR = 1.27, 95% confidence interval [1.15, 1.41] and 1.45 [1.30, 1.61], respectively). Use of systemic antibiotics (3.16 [2.90, 3.44]), probiotics (2.53 [2.32, 2.77]), chemotherapy (1.28 [1.08, 1.53]), or proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) (1.17 [1.07, 1.28]), and prior CDI history (1.22 [1.03, 1.43]) were also identified as rCDI risk factors. Vancomycin reduced the risk of rCDI compared with metronidazole treatment (0.83 [0.76, 0.91]).

CONCLUSION

This large, multicenter, nationwide study confirmed that older age, PPIs, antibiotics, probiotics, chemotherapy, and prior CDI history are risk factors for rCDI in Japan. There was a 17% decrease of rCDI risk with vancomycin vs metronidazole treatment.

CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

N/A.

Co-insurance and health care utilization in Japanese patients with rheumatoid arthritis: a discontinuity regression approach

Background

Co-insurance rates in Japan decrease when patients turn 70 years of age. We aim to compare changes in medical demand for Japanese patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) at age 70 prior to 2014, when there was a reduction in co-insurance rates from 30 to 10%, with changes in medical demand at age 70 after 2014 when co-insurance rates decreased from 30% to only 20%.

Methods

We used administrative data from large Japanese hospitals. We employed a discontinuity regression (RD) approach to control for unobserved endogeneity in the data.

Results

We identified a total of 7343 patients with RA, 4905 (67%) turned age 70 before April, and found that a 20% decrease in co-insurance was associated with increased utilization of more expensive biologic RA drugs, more outpatient visits and higher total medical costs. However, a 10% decrease in co-insurance for patients who turned 70 after 2014 did not significantly change demand for medical services.

Conclusions

For the younger cohort, we did not observe any changes in medical demand after a price decrease. We therefore conclude that the economic goal of cost sharing, namely a behavioural change towards lower health-care utilization, is not achieved in this particular cohort of chronic patients.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1186/s12939-019-0920-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Persistence with Biological Disease-modifying Antirheumatic Drugs and Its Associated Resource Utilization and Costs

Objective

The study assessed persistence rates of biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (bDMARDs) for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis in Japan and compared resource utilization and treatment costs between persistence and non-persistence groups.

Methods

Data were extracted from a Japanese claims database between 2009 and 2015. bDMARD-naïve patients were identified and included in the final analysis. Survival analysis was used to estimate 1-year persistence rates for current bDMARDs. Propensity score matching was applied to control for potential treatment selection bias. Resource utilization and healthcare costs were calculated 1 year before and after initiation of bDMARDs and compared between persistence and non-persistence groups.

Results

A total of 6153 bDMARD-naïve patients were identified and the overall 1-year persistence rate was 85% (95% CI 84–86). Overall, 1-year outpatient visits increased from 10 at baseline to 16 after bDMARD treatment, while the number of hospital admissions declined from 3.3 to 1.6. The non-persistence group had a larger increase in outpatient visits after bDMARD initiation compared with the persistence group (8–16 vs. 10–16, respectively) and a smaller decrease in hospital admissions (3.1–1.9 vs. 3.5–1.4, respectively). Persistence was associated with a reduction in total healthcare costs of US$760.

Conclusions

Japanese bDMARD-naïve patients with RA have a high persistence rate with those treatments. The reduction in medication costs in non-persistent patients is offset by higher hospitalization costs, making non-persistence more expensive.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1007/s40801-018-0139-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Hospitalization costs and length of stay of Japanese children with respiratory syncytial virus: A structural equation modeling approach

BACKGROUND

This study sought to identify factors that impact the total health care costs associated with hospitalization of young Japanese children with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).

METHODS

Children admitted between April 2014 and March 2015 with at least a confirmed diagnosis of RSV and 2 days of hospital stay were considered for inclusion. Data analyses of hospital claims were performed using a structural equation modeling approach.

RESULTS

A total of 6811 Japanese inpatients (<5 years old) diagnosed with RSV were included. The average length of stay was 7.5 days with a mean total health care cost of US Dollars (USD) $3344 per hospitalization. Intensive care unit hospitalizations were associated with greater costs (USD +$4951) compared to routine hospitalizations. The highest procedure-related cost drivers were blood transfusions (USD +$6402) and tube feedings (USD +$3512).

CONCLUSION

The economic burden of RSV-related infection hospitalizations in Japan is considerable. Efforts should be toward immunization and therapeutic treatment strategies that reduce severity, prevent, or reduce the duration of hospitalization.