Background: Before the approval of dabrafenib and trametinib in combination, there were no approved therapies in the adjuvant setting that target the RAS/RAF/MEK/ERK pathway. Objective: To evaluate the budget impact of dabrafenib and trametinib in combination for adjuvant treatment of patients with BRAF V600 mutation-positive resected Stage IIIA, IIIB, or IIIC melanoma from a U.S.
Gerbasi ME, Stellato D, Ghate SR, Ndife B, Moynahan A, Mishra D, Gunda P, Koruth R, Delea TE. Cost-effectiveness of dabrafenib and trametinib in combination as adjuvant treatment of BRAF V600E/K mutation-positive melanoma from a US healthcare payer perspective. J Med Econ 2019;22(12):1243-52.
Objective: The COMBI-AD trial demonstrated the efficacy and safety of dabrafenib and trametinib in combination versus placebo as adjuvant treatment of patients with BRAF V600E/K mutation-positive resected Stage IIIA (lymph node metastasis >1 mm), IIIB, or IIIC melanoma. This analysis evaluated the cost-effectiveness of dabrafenib and trametinib versus observation from a US healthcare payer perspective. Methods: This evaluation employed a non-homogeneous, semi-Markov, cohort model with health states for relapse-free survival (RFS), post locoregional recurrence (LR), post distant recurrence (DR) receiving
Adachi JD, Berger C, Barron R, Weycker D, Anastassiades TP, Davison KS, Hanley DA, Ioannidis G, Jackson SA, Josse RG, Kaiser SM, Kovacs CS, Lesile WD, Morin SN, Papaioannou A, Prior JC, Shyta E, Silvia A, Towheed T, Goltzman D. Predictors of imminent non-vertebral fracture in elderly women with osteoporosis, low bone mass, or a history of fracture, based on data from the population-based Canadian Multicentre Osteoporosis Study (CaMos). Arch Osteoporos 2019;14(1):53.
Using data from the Canadian Multicentre Osteoporosis Study, several risk factors predictive of imminent (2-year) risk of low-trauma non-vertebral fracture among high-risk women were identified, including history of falls, history of low-trauma fracture, poorer physical function, and lower T score. Careful consideration should be given to targeting this population for therapy. PURPOSE: Fracture risk assessment
Hagiwara M, Panjabi S, Sharma A, Delea TE. Healthcare utilization and costs among relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma patients on carfilzomib or pomalidomide as monotherapy or in combination with dexamethasone. J Med Econ 2019;22(8):818-29.
AIM: To compare monthly healthcare resource utilization (HRU) and costs among adult patients with multiple myeloma (MM) receiving second or subsequent line of treatment (LOT) with carfilzomib or pomalidomide as monotherapy or in combination with dexamethasone. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Adult MM patients who received carfilzomib or pomalidomide as second/subsequent LOT between 2006 and 2014 were
Henry DH, Weycker D, Bensink M, Gawade P, Belani R. Optimal timing for pegfilgrastim administration in Japanese breast cancer patients receiving intermediate-risk chemotherapies: response to study by Hayama et al. Int J Clin Pharm 2019;41(3):619-20.
Febrile neutropenia (FN) is a potentially life-threatening side effect of myelosuppressive chemotherapy. Recognizing the effectiveness of colony-stimulating factor (CSF) in reducing the risk and consequences of FN, National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines recommend CSF prophylaxis when FN risk is high (> 20%) based on either the chemotherapy regimen alone or a combination of the chemotherapy
Kreuter M, Lederer DJ, Molina-Molina M, Noth I, Valenzuela C, Frankenstein L, Weycker D, Atwood M, Kirchgaessler KU, Cottin V. Association of angiotensin modulators with the course of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Chest 2019;156(4):706-14.
BACKGROUND: Angiotensin peptides have been implicated in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) pathogenesis. Angiotensin modulators are used to treat arterial hypertension, a frequent comorbidity of IPF. This post hoc analysis evaluated associations of antihypertensive treatments with disease-related outcomes in IPF. METHODS: All patients randomized to placebo (n = 624) in the CAPACITY and ASCEND studies were categorized
Pelton SI, Shea KM, Bornheimer R, Sato R, Weycker D. Pneumonia in young adults with asthma: impact on subsequent asthma exacerbations. J Asthma Allergy 2019;12:95-9.
BACKGROUND: Recent studies of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) have recognized acute cardiac complications-such as myocardial infarction, arrhythmia, or congestive heart failure (CHF)-as frequent complications during the acute process. As well, a prolonged vulnerability to exacerbations of underlying comorbidities-such as CHF and COPD-has been observed following CAP. We hypothesized that young adults with underlying asthma could also be
Taneja C, Netsch D, Rolstad BS, Inglese G, Eaves D, Oster G. Risk and economic burden of peristomal skin complications following ostomy surgery. J Wound Ostomy Continence Nurs 2019;46(2):143-9.
PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine the incidence and economic burden of peristomal skin complications (PSCs) following ostomy surgery. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study based on electronic health records and administrative data stores at a large US integrated healthcare system. SUBJECTS AND SETTINGS: The sample comprised 168 patients who underwent colostomy (ICD-9-CM 46.1X)
Delea TE, Sharma A, Grossman A, Eichten C, Fenton K, Josephson N, Richhariya A, Moskowitz AJ. Cost-effectiveness of brentuximab vedotin plus chemotherapy as frontline treatment of stage III or IV classical Hodgkin lymphoma. J Med Econ 2019;22(2):117-30.
OBJECTIVE: The ECHELON-1 trial demonstrated efficacy and safety of brentuximab vedotin plusdoxorubicin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine (A + AVD) versus doxorubicin, bleomycin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine (ABVD) as frontline therapy for stage III/IV classical Hodgkin lymphoma. This analysis evaluated the cost-effectiveness of A + AVD from a US healthcare payer perspective. METHODS: The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER), defined as the incremental costs per quality-adjusted life year (QALY) gained, was estimated using a non-homogenous semi-Markov cohort model
Seifer FD, Hansen G, Weycker D. Health-care utilization and expenditures among patients with comorbid bronchiectasis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in US clinical practice. Chron Respir Dis 2019;16:1479973119839961.
Recent research suggests that bronchiectasis (BE) may be more common than previously believed and that comorbid chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is widespread in this patient population. Little is known about the economic burden among patients with BE, and less is known about the burden among those with comorbid BE + COPD. A retrospective matched-cohort
Weycker D, Hatfield M, Grossman A, Hanau A, Lonshteyn A, Sharma A, Chandler D. Risk and consequences of chemotherapy-induced thrombocytopenia in US clinical practice. BMC Cancer 2019;19(1):151.
BACKGROUND: Chemotherapy-induced thrombocytopenia (CIT) is a potentially serious complication that can lead to chemotherapy dose delays, dose reductions, or discontinuation, and increases the risk of serious bleeding events. The objectives of this study were to characterize the incidence, clinical consequences, and economic costs of CIT in current US clinical practice. METHODS: A retrospective cohort design