Budget Impact of Early Introduction of Amino Acid Formula in Managing Infants with Cow Milk Protein Allergy: Arabian Gulf Countries' Experience

Objective

This study estimates the budgetary impact of the introduction of amino-acid formula (AAF) as first-line management in the elimination diet of infants with suspected cow milk protein allergy (CMPA) in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from a health-care payer's perspective.

Methods

A global decision tree model was adapted to compare estimated costs in current practice (extensively hydrolyzed formula [eHF] or soy formula [SF] with the proposed approach of early introduction of AAF as first-line treatment of CMPA in non-breast-fed infants). Model inputs were derived from explorative literature reviews and medical experts' opinions. All costs were reported in local currency, ie, Saudi Riyal (SAR) for KSA, Kuwaiti Dinar (KWD) for Kuwait, and United Arab Emirates Dirham (AED) for the UAE.

Results

Cost savings with the early introduction of AAF were 10% (SAR 15102542) in KSA, 10% (KWD 306565) in Kuwait, 17% (AED 1842018) in the UAE government sector and 13% (AED 4232932) in the UAE private sector. The highest cost reduction was observed in the cost of soy formula (SF), with a 58% reduction both in KSA (SAR 4204540) and UAE public sector (AED 110331). A significant cost reduction in medication costs in Kuwait (37%; KWD 5630) and medical examination costs in the UAE private sector (50%; AED 1508918) was observed.

Conclusion

Results indicated that the introduction of AAF as the first line in the management of CMPA is a cost-saving strategy for the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries-KSA, Kuwait, and UAE- from a health-care payer's perspective.

Off-Label Drug Use in Pediatric Out-Patient Care: A Multi-Center Observational Study

Objective

Prescribing a drug for a child is not an easy task and requires using the best available evidence as a guide, especially when a drug is used off-label. The practice of prescribing a drug for off-label use is fairly widespread worldwide. The FDA does not regulate prescribing patterns or practices of individual practitioners and, therefore, allows off-label use. The main objective of this study is to evaluate off-label prescribing among the pediatric population in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA).

Method

This is a retrospective, simple random selection observational study of children (≤15 years) who visited pediatric clinics and had at least 1 drug prescribed over a 12-month period (January to December 2018).

Results

A total of 865 drugs (mean 1 and SD 0.24) were prescribed to 326 children. Off-label was identified in 39.4% of the drugs with a frequency of 512 (as 1 drug may belong to more than 1 off-label category). The most common reason for off-label prescribing was related to doses that were "higher or lower than the recommended use" (48.6%), and the most frequently identified drug class prescribed for off-label use was anti-infective drugs for systemic use (39.9%). The percentage of off-label drug use was found to be higher in girls and in the age group of 1 month to 2 years (P = .001) for both variables. In addition, a significant association was found between off label drug use and the total number of drugs prescribed, P < .001.

Conclusion

The findings of this study showed a high incidence of off-label prescribing mainly related to dosing and indication. The results of this observational study support the need to establish a unified national pediatric dosing formulary guide to ensure safe drug use in pediatrics.

The Effectiveness of Written Asthma Action Plan at the National Guard Health Affairs' Asthma Clinic

Introduction

Bronchial asthma has grown in epidemic proportions, and it is one of the most chronic diseases that affect many societies in the world. As managing asthma is complex, new management approaches have been developed, such as the written asthma action plan. This study aims to assign a baseline for the patients’ knowledge about asthma and its management and to assess their need for an asthma action plan. Then, to identify the effect of the written asthma action plan on the following parameters: exacerbations rate, and the frequency of using rescue mediations. Also, to compare the quality of life, functional limitations, and the level of patients’ self-confidence in treating their asthma before and after using the written asthma action plan.

Method

This study is a cross-sectional and interventional mixed-method study design. It was conducted at the National Guard Health Affairs (NGHA) asthma clinics between October 2017 to November 2017. Asthmatic patients who were above five years old and had no other lung comorbidities were evaluated before and after following the written asthma action plan by using three previously validated and published surveys that consist of five sections: demography, knowledge, quality of life, exacerbation rate, and overall evaluation.

Results

This study enrolled 58% (209) males and 42% (154) females. Regarding asthma medication knowledge and attack management, 62.3% of the patients do not adhere to their maintenance medications when they do not have asthma symptoms. Also, only 24.9% were very confident about knowing how to use their inhalers. For the impact of asthma on patients’ quality of life and the functional limitations, we found that 42.1% of patients were absent from school or work more than once a week because of asthma. While 61.0% of patients did not attend social events twice or less per week because of their asthma. The third section of the survey was about asthma exacerbation related events during the past year, we found that 39.0% of patients had one or more asthma attacks, 41.6% visited the emergency room (ER) once or more during the past year, and 28.1% of patients have been hospitalized because of their asthma. Finally, the section about patients’ evaluation of their asthma and their confidence about managing their condition, we found that around 20% of patients had poor or no control over their condition.

In the second phase of the study, which includes 60 subjects, we found that following the action plan helps in increasing the patients’ knowledge about their condition, and improves their quality of life and functional limitations as they learned how to cope with their symptoms. In addition, it has increased the confidence level of patients about controlling their asthma and decreasing the asthma exacerbation related events rates. Overall, the patients’ evaluation of their asthma has been increased significantly (p-value= 0.023).

Conclusion

Most of the asthmatic patients had insufficient knowledge and/or poor adherence to their treatment which impacted their quality of life. The written asthma action plan was effective in increasing the patients’ knowledge about their condition, improving their quality of life and functional limitations, and increasing their confidence level about controlling their asthma.

Aeroallergens, atopy and allergic rhinitis in the Middle East

The literature on the nature and prevalence of indoor and/or outdoor aeroallergens, atopy and symptoms of rhinitis and asthma in the Middle East region (defined here as Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia - KSA, Syria, United Arab Emirates and Yemen) was reviewed. Although documentation was poor in all countries other than Iran and the KSA, a wide range of "global" and "local" aeroallergens (grass, weed and tree pollens, fungal spores, insect allergens, dander, and house dust mites) has been observed across the region. The prevalence of current self-reported or parent-reported symptoms of rhinitis ranged from 9% to 38%. Researchers have suggested that the high atopy rates and self-reported rhinitis rates are associated with an on-going shift towards a "western" lifestyle.

Comparative responses to nasal allergen challenge in allergic rhinitic subjects with or without asthma

BACKGROUND

Nasal allergen challenge (NAC) is useful to study the pathophysiology of rhinitis, and multiple challenges may more adequately approximate natural exposure.

OBJECTIVE

To determine the effect of 4 consecutive daily NAC, on clinical and inflammatory parameters in rhinitics with or without asthma.

METHODS

Rhinitic subjects were recruited: 19 with mild asthma and 13 without asthma. Subjects underwent a control challenge (normal saline) followed by 4 consecutive daily NAC. Allergen challenge consisted of spraying the chosen allergen extract into each nostril until a positive nasal response occurred. Symptoms were recorded on a Likert scale, and oral peak expiratory and nasal peak inspiratory flows allowed assessment of a nasal blockage index (NBI), for a period of 7 hours. Induced sputum and nasal lavage were performed on control day and after 1 and 4 days of NAC.

RESULTS

Compared with the control day, there was a significant increase in symptom scores and NBI 10 minutes after each last daily NAC in both groups (p < 0.05). Symptom scores and NBI were similar for the 2 groups, except for nasal obstruction and rhinorrhea, which were more marked in subjects with asthma and rhinitis, respectively. Nasal lavage eosinophils were increased after 4 days of challenges in both groups, but there was no change in sputum eosinophils. No cumulative effect or any late response were observed in any of the groups over the challenge period.

CONCLUSION

Multiple NAC may be a useful tool to study the pathophysiology of allergic rhinitis or its relationships with asthma.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01286129.