Real-world unified airway benefits of mepolizumab: Effectiveness in patients with asthma and comorbid nasal polyps.

Background: Nasal polyps (NPs) are commonly associated with chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS). In keeping with the unified airway hypothesis, asthma and CRS with NP (CRSwNP) frequently co-occur, share a similar pathophysiology, and are often treated with oral corticosteroids (OCS); however, a need for alternative treatment options for patients with comorbid asthma and CRSwNP remains.

Objective: To characterize the short- and long-term dual airway effectiveness of the anti-interleukin-5 monoclonal antibody, mepolizumab, in real-world patients with asthma and comorbid NP.

Optimal site of care for administration of extended half-life respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) antibodies to infants in the United States (US).

Introduction: New extended half-life antibodies for the single-dose prevention of medically attended (MA) respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI) have been developed for administration to all infants before or during their first RSV season. For infants born during the season, administration as soon as feasible after birth would provide optimal protection and minimize access disparities. The objective of this study was to assess the time from birth hospitalization discharge to the first outpatient visit (FOV) among US infants in order to determine optimal site of administration for the extended half-life antibody.

Healthcare Costs Among Patients with Psoriasis Treated with Ixekizumab Versus Secukinumab in Real-World Settings Over 24 Months.

Objective: The aim of this study was to compare healthcare costs between ixekizumab (IXE)-treated and secukinumab (SEC)-treated patients with psoriasis over a 24-month follow-up period in the United States.

Methods: Patients with psoriasis diagnosis were identified from IBM Watson Health MarketScan Research Databases; those with one or more claim for index drug (IXE or SEC) between March 1, 2016 and October 31, 2019 were included. Included patients were ≥ 18 years old and had continuous enrollment with medical and pharmacy benefits ≥ 6 months before and ≥ 24 months after index date.

Comparison of Real-World Treatment Patterns Among Biologic-Experienced Patients with Psoriasis Treated with Ixekizumab or Secukinumab Over 18 Months.

Introduction: Real-world data comparing effectiveness of ixekizumab (IXE) and secukinumab (SEC) among biologic-experienced patients are limited. This study compared treatment patterns over 18 months among biologic-experienced patients with psoriasis receiving IXE or SEC in the USA.

Methods: A retrospective observational study using administrative claims data from IBM Watson Health MarketScan Research Databases included adult patients with ≥ 1 inpatient or ≥ 2 non-diagnostic (≥ 30 days apart) outpatient claim/s with diagnosis of psoriasis between March 1, 2015 and October 31, 2019, and ≥ 1 claim/s for index drugs, IXE or SEC, between March 1, 2016 and October 31, 2019.

Comparison of two-year treatment adherence, persistence, discontinuation, reinitiation, and switching between psoriasis patients treated with ixekizumab or secukinumab in real-world settings.

Background: Real-world data on long-term treatment patterns associated with interleukin-17A inhibitors in plaque psoriasis are lacking.

Objective: To compare ixekizumab or secukinumab treatment patterns over a 24-month period among plaque psoriasis patients.

Methods: Adult patients with psoriasis who had 1 or more claims for ixekizumab or secukinumab between March 1, 2016, and October 31, 2019, and with 24 months of follow-up after starting treatment were identified from IBM MarketScan claims databases.

Increased health care costs associated with new persistent opioid use after major surgery in opioid-naive patients.

Opioid use after surgery is associated with increased health care utilization and costs. Although some studies show that surgical patients may later become persistent opioid users, data on the association between new persistent opioid use after surgery and health care utilization and costs are lacking. To compare health care utilization and costs after major inpatient or The IBM MarketScan Research databases were used to identify opioid-naive patients with major inpatient or outpatient surgeries and at least 1 year of continuous enrollment before and after this index surgery.

Corticosteroid dosing and opioid use are high in patients with SLE and remain elevated after belimumab initiation: a retrospective claims database analysis.

Objectives: To investigate corticosteroid and opioid use among patients with SLE and to examine the impact of belimumab initiation on the use of other SLE therapies.

Methods: We identified adult patients with SLE (International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision/10th Revision 710.0 and M32) between 1 January 2012 and 31 May 2018 (earliest SLE diagnosis=index date) within MarketScan administrative claims data.

The Economic Burden of End-Organ Damage Among Medicaid Patients with Sickle Cell Disease in the United States: A Population-Based Longitudinal Claims Study.

Background: The management of sickle cell disease (SCD), an inherited, chronic, and multifaceted condition, is associated with considerable health care resource utilization (HRU) and costs, especially for Medicaid. Anemia affects most patients with SCD and correlates with end-organ damage (EOD), such as stroke, chronic kidney disease (CKD), end-stage renal disease (ESRD), and pulmonary hypertension (PH). Limited research has been conducted to quantify the economic burden of EOD among patients with SCD.

Comparison of Real-World Treatment Patterns Among Psoriasis Patients Treated with Ixekizumab or Adalimumab.

Background: There is lack of real-world treatment pattern comparison data between ixekizumab and adalimumab which are approved for the treatment of moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis.

Objective: To compare real-world treatment patterns among psoriasis patients initiating ixekizumab or adalimumab in the United States.

Methods: Psoriasis patients with ≥1 claim for ixekizumab or adalimumab between March 1, 2016, and May 31, 2018, were identified (index date = date of first ixekizumab or adalimumab claim) from the IBM Watson Health MarketScan databases.

Prevalence, characteristics, and costs of diagnosed homocystinuria, elevated homocysteine, and phenylketonuria in the United States: a retrospective claims-based comparison.

Background: Classical homocystinuria (HCU), an inborn error of homocysteine metabolism, has previously been estimated to affect approximately 1 in 100,000-200,000 people in the United States (US). HCU is poorly detected by newborn screening, resulting in underestimates of its prevalence. This study compared characteristics, healthcare use and costs, and projected prevalence between patients with diagnosed HCU, elevated total homocysteine (tHcy), and diagnosed phenylketonuria (PKU).

Comparison of Health Care Costs Among Patients with Psoriasis Initiating Ixekizumab, Secukinumab, or Adalimumab.

Background: As more biologics become available for the treatment of psoriasis (PsO), there is a lack of direct comparisons of health care costs between patients who are treated by different medications, including ixekizumab (IXE), secukinumab (SEC), and adalimumab (ADA).

Objective: To compare the real-world health care costs of patients with PsO initiating IXE with those of patients initiating either SEC or ADA.

Methods: Patients diagnosed with PsO between July 1, 2015, and May 31, 2018, were identified from the IBM MarketScan commercial and Medicare databases.

Comparison of real-world treatment patterns among patients with psoriasis prescribed ixekizumab or secukinumab.

Background: Real-world data on treatment patterns associated with use of interleukin-17A inhibitors in psoriasis are lacking.

Objective: To compare treatment patterns between ixekizumab or secukinumab users in clinical practice.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study included patients with psoriasis aged ≥18 years treated with ixekizumab or secukinumab between March 1, 2016, and May 31, 2018 in IBM MarketScan (IBM Corp, Armonk, NY) databases.

Healthcare resource utilization and costs before and after lacosamide initiation as adjunctive therapy among patients with epilepsy in the United States.

Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate all-cause and epilepsy-specific healthcare resource utilization and costs following lacosamide (LCM) initiation as adjunctive therapy for the treatment of epilepsy.

Methods: A noninterventional retrospective database analysis was conducted that examined patients diagnosed as having epilepsy who added LCM to existing antiepileptic drug (AED) therapy between 2009 and 2016 (the first LCM prescription was the index event). This study used a single-case design whereby patients served as their own controls.

Health Care Burden Associated with Outpatient Opioid Use Following Inpatient or Outpatient Surgery.

Background: The treatment of postsurgical pain with prescription opioids has been associated with persistent opioid use and increased health care utilization and costs.

Objective: To compare the health care burden between opioid-naive adult patients who were prescribed opioids after a major surgery and opioidnaive adult patients who were not prescribed opioids.

Methods: Administrative claims data from the IBM Watson Health MarketScan Research Databases for 2010-2016 were used.

Loss of Glycogen Debranching Enzyme AGL Drives Bladder Tumor Growth via Induction of Hyaluronic Acid Synthesis.

Purpose: We demonstrated that amylo-alpha-1-6-glucosidase-4-alpha-glucanotransferase (AGL) is a tumor growth suppressor and prognostic marker in human bladder cancer. Here we determine how AGL loss enhances tumor growth, hoping to find therapeutically tractable targets/pathways that could be used in patients with low AGL-expressing tumors.

Experimental Design: We transcriptionally profiled bladder cell lines with different AGL expression.