Publications by authors named "Rublee D"

Background: Surprisingly little is known about the burden of oral mucositis (OM). We provide a systematic review of studies on the burden of OM (incidence, economic impact, health-related quality of life (HRQoL)).

Methods: Systematic literature searches were made in BIOSIS, EMBASE, and MEDLINE.

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Introduction And Aim: Open questions in haemophilia, such as effectiveness of innovative therapies, clinical and patient-reported outcomes (PROs), epidemiology and cost, await answers. The aim was to identify data attributes required and investigate the availability, appropriateness and accessibility of real-world data (RWD) from German registries and secondary databases to answer the aforementioned questions.

Methods: Systematic searches were conducted in BIOSIS, EMBASE and MEDLINE to identify non-commercial secondary healthcare databases and registries of patients with haemophilia (PWH).

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Background: Prior analyses beyond clinical trials are yet to evaluate the projected lifetime benefit of apixaban treatment compared to low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH)/vitamin K antagonist (VKA) for treatment of venous thromboembolism (VTE) and prevention of recurrences. The objective of this study is to assess the cost-effectiveness of initial plus extended treatment with apixaban versus LMWH/VKA for either initial treatment only or initial plus extended treatment.

Methods: A Markov cohort model was developed to evaluate the lifetime clinical and economic impact of treatment of VTE and prevention of recurrences with apixaban (starting at 10 mg BID for 1 week, then 5 mg BID for 6 months, then 2.

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Purpose: To assess the cost-effectiveness of apixaban versus rivaroxaban, low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH)/dabigatran, and LMWH/vitamin K antagonist (VKA) for the initial treatment and prevention of recurrent thromboembolic events in patients with venous thromboembolism (VTE).

Methods: A Markov model was developed to evaluate the pharmacoeconomic effect of 6 months of treatment with apixaban versus other anticoagulants over a lifetime horizon. Network meta-analyses were conducted using the results of the Apixaban after the Initial Management of Pulmonary Embolism and Deep Vein Thrombosis with First-Line Therapy (AMPLIFY), EINSTEIN-pooled, and RE-COVER I and II trials for the following end points: recurrent VTE, major bleeds, clinically relevant non-major bleeds, and treatment discontinuations.

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Background: Application of novel machine learning approaches to electronic health record (EHR) data could provide valuable insights into disease processes. We utilized this approach to build predictive models for progression to prediabetes and type 2 diabetes (T2D).

Methods: Using a novel analytical platform (Reverse Engineering and Forward Simulation [REFS]), we built prediction model ensembles for progression to prediabetes or T2D from an aggregated EHR data sample.

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Aims: Warfarin, a vitamin K antagonist (VKA), has been the standard of care for stroke prevention in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). Aspirin is recommended for low-risk patients and those unsuitable for warfarin. Apixaban is an oral anticoagulant that has demonstrated better efficacy than warfarin and aspirin in the ARISTOTLE and AVERROES studies, respectively, and causes less bleeding than warfarin.

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Background: Most existing models of smoking cessation treatments have considered a single quit attempt when modelling long-term outcomes.

Objective: To develop a model to simulate smokers over their lifetimes accounting for multiple quit attempts and relapses which will allow for prediction of the long-term health and economic impact of smoking cessation strategies.

Methods: A discrete event simulation (DES) that models individuals' life course of smoking behaviours, attempts to quit, and the cumulative impact on health and economic outcomes was developed.

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The present systematic review was conducted to assess the efficacy and safety of apixaban versus other anticoagulants, for the prevention of venous thromboembolism (VTE) following total hip replacement (THR) and total knee replacement (TKR) surgery. Electronic databases were interrogated to identify relevant randomized controlled trials. A series of direct/indirect comparisons and a network meta-analysis were conducted.

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Unlabelled: This study assesses the use of new anticoagulants for the prevention of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in patients undergoing elective orthopedic surgery using traditional cost-effectiveness analysis and efficiency frontier methodology.

Rationale: Efficiency frontier methodology has the potential to systematically improve the information used in policy and decision making, though it is still relatively uncommon in health economics. Anticoagulation in elective orthopedic surgery provides a fitting and timely case study for examining the influence of choosing one methodology over another.

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Long-term adherence to statins is poor. We assessed the relationship between cardiovascular (CV) risk and atorvastatin adherence in primary- and secondary-prevention patients, adjusting for healthy-adherer bias by incorporating preventive service use into the model. Medical and pharmacy claims from employee-based plans from 2002 to 2008 were analyzed for patients who initiated atorvastatin in 2003-2004.

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Background: As clinical trials have shown the benefits of more intensive cholesterol control, treatment targets for low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) have decreased progressively. At the same time, physicians have been encouraged to contain costs by prescribing cheaper, generic statins for cholesterol management. To determine how these possibly conflicting goals are managed in clinical practice, we examined LDL-C control in patients switched from a potent, branded statin (atorvastatin) to a less potent, generic statin (simvastatin).

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Background: Previous evaluations of the cost-effectiveness of the cyclooxygenase-2 selective inhibitor celecoxib (Celebrex, Pfizer Inc, USA) have produced conflicting results. The recent controversy over the cardiovascular (CV) risks of rofecoxib and other coxibs has renewed interest in the economic profile of celecoxib, the only coxib now available in the United States. The objective of our study was to evaluate the long-term cost-effectiveness of celecoxib compared with nonselective nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (nsNSAIDs) in a population of 60-year-old osteoarthritis (OA) patients with average risks of upper gastrointestinal (UGI) complications who require chronic daily NSAID therapy.

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Background: The use of nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) has been associated with increased blood pressure and hypertension. However, less is known about how the risk of hypertension is associated with cyclooxygenase 2 selective inhibitors (coxibs), especially celecoxib, the only coxib remaining on the market.

Objective: To compare the risk of incident hypertension associated with the use of celecoxib and nonselective (NS) NSAIDs.

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Background: Opioid analgesics remain a mainstay in the treatment of pain associated with surgical procedures. Such use is associated with adverse drug events (ADEs).

Objective: To investigate the impact of opioid-related ADEs on total hospital costs and length of stay (LOS) in adult surgical patients.

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Objective: To examine the effects of statin cost-sharing (ie, copayments, coinsurance) on adherence to statin medications and the impact of adherence on healthcare utilization and spending.

Study Design: Retrospective, observational study of statin users receiving health benefits or supplemental coverage from employer-sponsored health plans.

Methods: Medical and pharmacy claims were selected from the Medstat MarketScan database for patients who were continuously enrolled from 2000 through 2003.

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Background: Existing studies have examined the high prevalence of LBP along with the high treatment costs of patients with low back pain (LBP). Various factors have been shown to be correlated or predictive of chronic or episodic LBP including the characteristics of the initial episode, pain, comorbid conditions, psychosocial issues, and opiate use. This study replicates and extends earlier studies by examining the association of patient characteristics including baseline comorbidities with patterns of healthcare service use and cost.

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Data from the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' Medicaid database were analyzed to define recent trends in the use and cost of opioid medications United States as a whole and in seven states between 1998 and 2003.

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The Brief Pain Inventory short form (BPI-sf) is a validated, widely used, self-administered questionnaire developed to assess the severity of pain and the impact of pain on daily functions. A modified version was used daily in randomised control trials of patients with arthritis undergoing treatment with cyclooxygenase-2 specific inhibitors and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Results indicate that the modified BPI-sf, much like the original scale, was internally reliable, consistent over time, and had good construct, as well as convergent and predictive validity in assessment of patients suffering from conditions of chronic pain.

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Objectives: Dyspepsia and related gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms are commonly reported by patients taking nonspecific nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and significantly impact treatment effectiveness, cost, and quality of life. This study sought to evaluate dyspepsia-related health in osteoarthritis (OA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients taking valdecoxib compared with patients taking nonspecific NSAIDs.

Methods: Analysis of two separate, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies: one in RA patients randomized to placebo, valdecoxib (10 and 20 mg once daily [o.

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Aim: To compare the incidence of abdominal pain, dyspepsia and/or nausea associated with valdecoxib, nonspecific nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and placebo in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis.

Methods: Data from five randomized, double-blind 12-week trials were pooled. Independent risk factors for abdominal pain, dyspepsia and/or nausea were also determined.

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Introduction: Treatment of sepsis is aimed at increasing both the duration and quality of survival. A long-term focus on quality of life (QoL) in clinical trial evaluations of sepsis care should be a priority.

Method: QoL data were used to evaluate the effects of intravenous antithrombin III treatment for severe sepsis measured for up to 90 days during the follow-up phase of the KyberSept phase III clinical trial.

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Background: Constant improvements in dialysis technology, combined with a growing chronic renal failure population and limited funds, have put clinicians under pressure to prescribe the most cost-effective therapies. Improvements in dialysis, which eliminates metabolic waste products and preserves a normal electrolyte and fluid balance, have enhanced the quality of care among renal patients but at high monetary cost to health systems. Several recent studies report that yearly costs of peritoneal dialysis (PD) (because of technical differences in treatment strategies) are less than hemodialysis (HD) with hospital and other costs included.

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