Publications by authors named "Paolo Angelo Cortesi"

Article Synopsis
  • * A review of Italian vaccination documents highlights HTA's role in evaluating vaccines between 2012-2025 but shows a lack of independent funding for HTA reports.
  • * Improved utilization of HTA is needed to ensure timely and evidence-based vaccine recommendations, filling gaps between research findings and policy decisions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Aims: This study aimed to assess the proportions of type 2 diabetes (T2D) subjects meeting cardiovascular outcome trials (CVOTs) criteria for sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT-2i) and estimate SGLT2i utilization, along with associated demographic and clinical characteristics, in a primary care setting.

Methods: T2D patients in Italy were selected between January 1, 2021, and December 31, 2022, from The Health Improvement Network (THIN) database. Representativeness was determined by dividing patients meeting key inclusion criteria for four CVOTs (CANVAS, DECLARE-TIMI 58, EMPA-REG OUTCOME, VERTIS-CV) to the total T2D population.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • - Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is linked to high direct and indirect costs, primarily from medications, hospital stays, and work absenteeism; this study updated previous analyses on the economic aspects of PsA.
  • - Out of 27 studies, it was found that biologic therapies, particularly bimekizumab and ixekizumab, showed better cost-effectiveness compared to non-biologic treatments for managing PsA.
  • - Despite an increase in economic evaluations since the last review, PsA remains a significant economic burden globally, indicating a need for further studies to understand its financial impact better.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • * The initiative has formed four working groups aimed at enhancing research, clinical management, eHealth, and healthcare system reforms, ensuring a collaborative effort among patients, caregivers, and other stakeholders.
  • * As it progresses, the initiative plans to boost the use of eHealth tools and passive PROs in research and clinical settings, while also refining statistical methods in clinical trials and fostering alignment among industry, regulatory bodies, and health policymakers regarding PROs in MS healthcare.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Aim: In 2022, in Italy, general practitioners (GPs) have been allowed to prescribe SGLT2i in Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) under National Health Service (NHS) reimbursement. In the pivotal clinical trial named DECLARE-TIMI 58, dapagliflozin reduced the risk of hospitalization for heart failure, CV death and kidney disease progression compared to placebo in a population of T2D patients. This study evaluated the health and economic impact of dapagliflozin for T2D patients who had or were at risk for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease in the Italian GPs setting.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: Considering the advances in haemophilia management and treatment observed in the last decades, a new set of value-based outcome indicators is needed to assess the quality of care and the impact of these medical innovations.

Aim: The Value-Based Healthcare in Haemophilia project aimed to define a set of clinical outcome indicators (COIs) and patient-reported outcome indicators (PROIs) to assess quality of care in haemophilia in high-income countries with a value-based approach to inform and guide the decision-making process.

Methods: A Value-based healthcare approach based on the available literature, current guidelines and the involvement of a multidisciplinary group of experts was applied to generate a set of indicators to assess the quality of care of haemophilia.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

This study aimed to assess the effectiveness and costs associated with pharmacokinetics-driven (PK) prophylaxis based on the myPKFiT device in patients affected by hemophilia A (HA) in Italy. An observational retrospective study was conducted in three Italian hemophilia centers. All patients with moderate or severe HA, aged ≥ 18 years, capable of having PK estimated using the myPKFiT device, and who had had a clinical visit between 1 November 2019 and 31 March 2022 were included.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • - A study was conducted to gather updated insights on the psychosocial issues faced by adult people with hemophilia (PwH) and caregivers of children with hemophilia (CPwH) in Italy, as previous data was outdated and insufficient.
  • - Surveys were administered to 120 adult PwH and 79 CPwH from November 2019 to June 2020, revealing significant impairments in work, family relationships, and social interactions among adult patients, while caregivers generally reported better psychosocial outcomes.
  • - Key findings showed that both PwH and CPwH struggled with mobility, pain, and mental health, highlighting the need for increased genetic counseling and psychological support, since many were unaware of their carrier status and lacked
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Essential tremor (ET) is a common neurological disorder, and this study aimed to analyze its treatment patterns and characteristics in newly diagnosed patients in France and the UK from 2015 to 2018.
  • Out of 2957 patients in the UK and 3249 in France, about 40% received treatment after diagnosis, but only 20% continued the treatment by the end of the follow-up, with many switching or stopping medications altogether.
  • The findings indicate that ET is often undertreated, particularly among patients with psychiatric conditions, prompting a need for better identification and management of the disorder.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: Clinical trials confirmed the beneficial effects of adding pertuzumab (P) to the combination of trastuzumab-chemotherapy (TC) in the (neo)adjuvant setting of high-risk HER2-positive early breast cancer (HER2+BC). We evaluated the clinical, economic and societal impact of adding pertuzumab to neoadjuvant TC combination (TPC) in Italy.

Methods: A cost-consequence analysis comparing TPC vs.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Recent developments improved outcomes in patients with autoimmune diseases. Biologics were approved as first-line treatment in selected naïve patients with plaque psoriasis (PsO), psoriatic arthritis (PsA), ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis (nr-axSpA). Among them, secukinumab was most recently approved for treatment of active nr-axSpA in adults.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: This study was aimed at estimating the appropriate price of tucatinib plus trastuzumab and capecitabine (TXC), as third-line treatment, in HER2 breast cancer (BC) patients from the Italian National Health System (NHS) perspective.

Methods: A partitioned survival model with three mutually exclusive health states (i.e.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The European Liver and Intestine Transplant Association, ELITA, promoted a Consensus Conference involving 20 experts across the world which generated updated guidelines on HBV prophylaxis in liver transplant candidates and recipients. This study explores the economic impact associated with the implementation of the new ELITA guidelines. To this aim, a condition-specific cohort simulation model has been developed to compare new and historical prophylaxis, including only pharmaceutical cost and using the European perspective.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: The role of statins among patients with established cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) who are hospitalized with COVID-19 is still debated. This study aimed at assessing whether the prior use of statins was associated with a less severe COVID-19 prognosis.

Methods: Subjects with CVDs infected with SARS-CoV-2 and hospitalized between 20 February 2020 and 31 December 2020 were selected.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: There are no data to assess the value associated with a treat-to-target (T2T) strategy based on tight control of mild-moderate ulcerative colitis (UC).

Aim: To assess the cost-effectiveness of a T2T approach based on the normalisation of clinical signs and faecal calprotectin (FC) METHODS: A decision analytical Markov model was developed to compare T2T algorithm combining clinical symptoms and FC levels to define treatment response and the possible switch to the next treatment line (T2T-FC), and the reference strategy based only on symptoms. The model included five treatment lines and was conducted from the Italian national health service (NHS) perspective using a 3-year time horizon.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • New rFVIII products like BAY 81-8973 show promise in personalizing treatments for hemophilia A, potentially cutting down on infusions and bleeding risks.
  • A study conducted in five Italian centers compared the bleeding rates and FVIII consumption of 44 patients who switched from standard therapies to BAY 81-8973 over a year.
  • Results indicated a significant drop in annual bleeding rates and FVIII usage, with more patients experiencing zero bleeds, suggesting that BAY 81-8973 could offer improved outcomes in real-world settings.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Aims: Sudden cardiac death (SCD) causes high mortality and substantial societal burdens for healthcare systems (HSs). The risk of SCD is significantly increased in patients with reduced left ventricular ejection fraction after myocardial infarction (MI). Current guidelines recommend re-evaluation of cardioverter-defibrillator implantation 40 days post-MI, earliest.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Siponimod is an effective treatment for patients with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS), with active disease evidenced by relapses or imaging features characteristic of multiple sclerosis inflammatory activity, however there is a need to evaluate its economic value and sustainability compared to other disease modifying-therapies (DMTs).

Objective: To estimate the siponimod cost-effectiveness profile and its relative budget impact compared with other DMTs, by using the Italian National Healthcare System perspective.

Methods: We performed: 1) a cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) vs interferon beta-1b using an analytical Markov model and a life time-horizon, and 2) a budget impact analysis by using 3-years time-horizon.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

In Italy, during the COVID-19 waves two lockdowns were implemented to prevent virus diffusion in the general population. Data on antidepressant (AD) use in these periods are still scarce. This study aimed at exploring the impact of COVID-19 lockdowns on prevalence and incidence of antidepressant drug use in the general population.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: Haemophilia management and patients' quality of life significantly improved. However, data on current patients', caregivers' and clinicians' satisfaction and limitations of treatments and haemophilia management are limited.

Aim: Assessing the management satisfaction and unmet needs from the perspective of Italian patients with haemophilia (PWH) without inhibitors (or caregivers if children) and of specialist physicians.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The GBD 2019 study systematically estimated the global cancer burden, providing data on incidence, mortality, and disability to help address cancer worldwide.
  • In 2019, an estimated 23.6 million new cancer cases and 10 million cancer deaths occurred globally, marking significant increases in rates since 2010, with cancer becoming a leading cause of both death and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs).
  • The impact of cancer varied across sociodemographic index (SDI) quintiles, with higher SDI areas seeing more new cases, while middle SDI areas experienced more deaths and DALYs, highlighting disparities in cancer burden.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Italy implemented two national lockdowns aimed at reducing virus transmission. We assessed whether these lockdowns affected anti-seizure medication (ASM) use and epilepsy-related access to emergency departments (ED) in the general population.

Methods: We performed a population-based study using the healthcare administrative database of Tuscany.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Aims: Patients with permanently increased risk of sudden cardiac death (SCD) can be protected by implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICD). If an ICD must be removed due to infection, for example, immediate reimplantation might not be possible or indicated. The wearable cardioverter defibrillator (WCD) is an established, safe and effective solution to protect patients from SCD during this high-risk bridging period.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: Explore the impact of COVID-19 on patients on the waiting list for liver transplantation (LT) and on their post-LT course.

Design: Data from consecutive adult LT candidates with COVID-19 were collected across Europe in a dedicated registry and were analysed.

Results: From 21 February to 20 November 2020, 136 adult cases with laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection from 33 centres in 11 European countries were collected, with 113 having COVID-19.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF