Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Treatment Initiation Among Patients with Newly Diagnosed Psoriatic Arthritis: A Retrospective Medicaid Claims Database Study.

Introduction: In patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA), potential differences in care by race/ethnicity have not been well studied.

Methods: This retrospective, observational cohort analysis utilized the IBM MarketScan Multi-State Medicaid database. Patients aged ≥ 18 years with two or more PsA-related claims between January 1, 2010 and December 31, 2019, and ≥ 12 months of continuous enrollment before the first diagnosis of PsA (index date) were included.

Treatment patterns and overall survival of patients with double-class and triple-class refractory multiple myeloma: a US electronic health record database study.

Patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM) resistant to multiple drug classes remain a high unmet need population. This longitudinal retrospective cohort study assessed real-world treatment patterns and outcomes in adults with RRMM. Patients who had three or more prior lines of therapy including a proteasome inhibitor (PI) and an immunomodulatory agent (double-exposed) were further categorized as refractory to a PI and an immunomodulatory agent (double-class refractory,  = 381) or additionally to an anti-CD38 monoclonal antibody (triple-class refractory,  = 173).

Assessing the treatment pattern, health care resource utilisation, and economic burden of multiple myeloma in France using the Système National des Données de Santé (SNDS) database: a retrospective cohort study.

Background: Real-world data on health care resource utilisation (HCRU) and costs for French patients with multiple myeloma (MM) are limited due to the quickly evolving MM treatment landscape. This retrospective, national-level study quantified the MM economic burden in France.

Methods: The study included patients with newly diagnosed MM from the Système National des Données de Santé coverage claims database between 2013 and 2018 who received active treatment within 30 days of diagnosis.

Incidence of corneal adverse events in patients with multiple myeloma and their clinical and economic impact: A real-world retrospective cohort study.

Aims: Ocular toxicities are common adverse events (AEs) associated with anticancer agents. There is a paucity of data documenting their impact on patient care. This study assessed the clinical and economic burden of corneal AEs and related symptoms (collectively termed corneal AEs) in patients receiving multiple myeloma (MM) treatment.

DREAMM-2: Indirect Comparisons of Belantamab Mafodotin vs. Selinexor + Dexamethasone and Standard of Care Treatments in Relapsed/Refractory Multiple Myeloma.

Introduction: Single-agent belantamab mafodotin (belamaf; BLENREP) demonstrated deep and durable responses in patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma and ≥ 3 prior lines of therapy, including an immunomodulatory agent, proteasome inhibitor, and anti-CD38 antibody (DREAMM-2; NCT03525678).

Methods: At the time of this study, STORM Part 2, NCT02336815 (selinexor plus low-dose dexamethasone; sel + dex) was systematically identified as the only feasible comparator to the DREAMM-2 cohort. Matching-adjusted indirect comparisons (MAIC) evaluated efficacy and safety of belamaf (2.

Costs of Severe Maternal Morbidity During Pregnancy in US Commercially Insured and Medicaid Populations: An Observational Study.

Objective: To estimate the maternity-related cost of health care services in women with and without severe maternal morbidity (SMM).

Methods: Women with a live inpatient birth in the calendar year 2013 were identified in the MarketScan Commercial and Medicaid health insurance claims databases. Costs were defined as the amounts paid by insurers plus out-of-pocket and third-party payments.

Comparative efficacy and safety and dolutegravir and lamivudine in treatment naive HIV patients.

Objective: Compare the efficacy and safety of the 2-drug antiretroviral therapy regimen dolutegravir + lamivudine (DTG + 3TC) with traditional 3-drug regimens in treatment-naive patients with HIV-1.

Design: Data from double-blind, randomized controlled trials of at least 48 weeks' duration in treatment-naive patients with HIV-1 identified by systematic review were evaluated using a Bayesian network meta-analysis methodology.

Methods: The primary outcome was virologic suppression at Week 48 for 3-drug regimens versus DTG + 3TC (also analyzed in patient subgroup with baseline viral load >100 000 RNA copies/ml).

Pembrolizumab versus the standard of care for relapsed and refractory classical Hodgkin's lymphoma progressing after brentuximab vedotin: an indirect treatment comparison.

Background: There is significant unmet need among patients with relapsed and refractory classical Hodgkin's lymphoma (RRcHL) who have failed multiple lines of therapy, including brentuximab vedotin (BV). Pembrolizumab, an immune checkpoint inhibitor, is one possible treatment solution for this population.

Research Methods: The objective of this study was to compare progression-free survival (PFS) with standard of care (SOC) versus pembrolizumab in previously BV treated RRcHL patients.

Boceprevir for Chronic Genotype 1 Hepatitis C Virus in the Current Health Care Setting in Greece: A Cost-effectiveness Analysis.

Purpose: Boceprevir, as an add-on to the standard of care (SOC) for chronic genotype 1 hepatitis C virus (G1 HCV), pegylated interferon + ribavirin for 48 weeks (PEG + RBV), has been reported to have a clinical profile superior to that of SOC alone. The objective of the present study was to compare the cost-effectiveness of triple therapy with PEG + RBV + boceprevir to that of SOC in treatment-naive and treatment-experienced patients with G1 HCV in Greece.

Methods: A Markov model that simulated the quality-adjusted life expectancy and corresponding costs of treating G1 HCV infection provided the basis of the analysis.

Cost-effectiveness of boceprevir co-administration versus pegylated interferon-α2b and ribavirin only for patients with hepatitis C genotype 1 in Singapore.

Background: Patients infected with chronic HCV genotype 1 experience liver complications as the disease progresses. This study aims to project the long-term reduction of liver complications and cost-effectiveness of treatment strategies, including co-administrating boceprevir (BOC) with pegylated interferon-α2b (PEG-IFN) and ribavirin compared with standard of care (SOC) of PEG-IFN and ribavirin only.

Methods: A Markov model was created to estimate the expected costs and quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) associated with treatment strategies outlined in the BOC package insert in Singapore.

Cost-effectiveness of boceprevir in patients previously treated for chronic hepatitis C genotype 1 infection in the United States.

Objectives: The phase 3 trial, Serine Protease Inhibitor Boceprevir and PegIntron/Rebetol-2 (RESPOND-2), demonstrated that the addition of boceprevir (BOC) to peginterferon-ribavirin (PR) resulted in significantly higher rates of sustained virologic response (SVR) in previously treated patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype-1 infection as compared with PR alone. We evaluated the cost-effectiveness of treatment with BOC in previously treated patients with chronic hepatitis C in the United States using treatment-related data from RESPOND-2 and PROVIDE studies.

Methods: We developed a Markov cohort model to project the burden of HCV disease, lifetime costs, and quality-adjusted life-years associated with PR and two BOC-based therapies-response-guided therapy (BOC/RGT) and fixed-duration therapy for 48 weeks (BOC/PR48).

Economic Evaluation of Boceprevir for the Treatment of Patients with Genotype 1 Chronic Hepatitis C Virus Infection in Hungary.

Recent international, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trials (SPRINT-2; RESPOND-2) demonstrated that the triple combination of peginterferon (PEG), ribavirin (RBV) and boceprevir (BOC) was more efficacious than the standard dual therapy of PEG and RBV in treatment of patients chronically infected with genotype 1 hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. The objective of this study was to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of triple therapy in both treatment-naive and treatment-experienced patients in Hungary. A Markov model was developed to evaluate the long-term clinical benefits and the costeffectiveness of the triple therapy from the Hungarian payer perspective.

Boceprevir for previously untreated patients with chronic hepatitis C Genotype 1 infection: a US-based cost-effectiveness modeling study.

Background: SPRINT-2 demonstrated that boceprevir (BOC), an oral hepatitis C virus (HCV) nonstructural 3 (NS3) protease inhibitor, added to peginterferon alfa-2b (P) and ribavirin (R) significantly increased sustained virologic response rates over PR alone in previously untreated adult patients with chronic HCV genotype 1. We estimated the long-term impact of triple therapy vs. dual therapy on the clinical burden of HCV and performed a cost-effectiveness evaluation.

Cost-effectiveness analysis of boceprevir for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C virus genotype 1 infection in Portugal.

Background: The recent approval of two protease inhibitors, boceprevir and telaprevir, is likely to change the management of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 1 infection.

Objectives: We evaluated the long-term clinical outcomes and the cost effectiveness of therapeutic strategies using boceprevir with peginterferon plus ribavirin (PR) in comparison with PR alone for treating HCV genotype 1 infection in Portugal.

Methods: A Markov model was developed to project the expected lifetime costs and quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) associated with PR alone and the treatment strategies outlined by the European Medicines Agency in the boceprevir summary of product characteristics.

Lower risk of hypoglycemia with sitagliptin compared to glipizide when either is added to metformin therapy: a pre-specified analysis adjusting for the most recently measured HbA(1c) value.

Background: In a previously-published study, adding sitagliptin or glipizide to ongoing metformin therapy provided similar HbA(1c) improvement (both groups, -0.7%) after 52 weeks in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM). Significantly fewer patients experienced symptomatic hypoglycemia with sitagliptin (5% of 588 patients) compared to glipizide (32% of 584 patients).

Efficacy of the pentavalent rotavirus vaccine, RotaTeq®, in Finnish infants up to 3 years of age: the Finnish Extension Study.

Rotavirus Efficacy and Safety Trial (REST) enrolled nearly 70,000 infants, of whom more than 23,000 were from Finland. REST determined the efficacy of the pentavalent rotavirus vaccine (RV5) against rotavirus-related hospitalisations and emergency department (ED) visits in the first year after vaccination. Finnish infants initially in REST transitioned into the Finnish Extension Study (FES), where they were followed for rotavirus-related hospitalisations and ED visits through their second year of life and beyond.

Sustained efficacy of the pentavalent rotavirus vaccine, RV5, up to 3.1 years following the last dose of vaccine.

Background: Rotavirus gastroenteritis (RVGE) is a common cause of childhood hospitalizations and emergency department (ED) visits. In the Rotavirus Efficacy and Safety Trial (REST), the pentavalent rotavirus vaccine (RV5) significantly reduced RVGE-associated hospitalizations and ED visits for up to 2 years following the last vaccine dose. This study evaluated whether RV5 remained efficacious beyond 2 years.