Treatment patterns, healthcare utilization, and costs of chronic opioid treatment for non-cancer pain in the United States.

Objectives: To evaluate treatment patterns, healthcare resource utilization, and costs among patients within a large managed care population chronically using opioids for non-cancer pain.

Study Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Methods: Patients aged ≥18 years with ≥1 prescription initiating opioids between January 1, 2007, and December 31, 2011, who also had 12 months of continuous pre-index health plan enrollment, were identified.

Opioid-Induced Constipation Among Patients with Chronic Noncancer Pain in the United States, Canada, Germany, and the United Kingdom: Laxative Use, Response, and Symptom Burden Over Time.

Purpose: Estimate rate of laxative inadequate response (LIR) over time among patients with chronic noncancer pain with opioid-induced constipation (OIC).

Methods: A prospective longitudinal study was conducted in United States, Canada, Germany, and United Kingdom. Patients on opioid therapy for ≥4 weeks for chronic noncancer pain and OIC completed an Internet-based survey at Baseline and Weeks 2, 4, 6, 8, 12, 16, 20, and 24.

A description of clinical characteristics and treatment patterns observed within prescribed opioid users in Germany and the UK.

Aims: To describe a cohort of new opioid users (adult noncancer patients) in terms of clinical characteristics and treatment patterns in the UK and Germany.

Material & Methods: Data used were extracted from electronic medical records databases (UK: Clinical Practice Research Database-Hospital Episode Statistics; Germany: IMS Disease Analyzer) covering the 2008-2012 period.

Results: Most eligible patients were treated with opioids for less than 6 months (UK: 78.

Description of cardiovascular event rates in patients initiating chronic opioid therapy for noncancer pain in observational cohort studies in the US, UK, and Germany.

Introduction: Previous observational studies in the US suggest that opioid analgesic use increases the risk of cardiovascular (CV) events. The current study provides additional background event rates for five prespecified CV outcomes of interest in patients from three countries.

Methods: Three observational cohort studies were conducted in patients from the US (N = 17,604), the UK (N = 9,823), and Germany (N = 9,412).

Treatment patterns, healthcare resource utilization and costs in patients with bipolar disorder, newly treated with extended release or immediate release quetiapine fumarate using US healthcare administrative claims data.

Background: Differences in treatment patterns, health care resource use, and costs are expected among patients newly treated with quetiapine extended release (XR) or quetiapine immediate release (IR).

Objective: To compare treatment patterns, health care resource use, and costs in patients with bipolar disorder newly treated with quetiapine XR or quetiapine IR.

Methods: This was an observational, retrospective cohort study that used HealthCore Integrated Research Database-identified patients (age range, 18-64 years) with an International Classification of Disease, Ninth Revision diagnosis of bipolar disorder and ≥1 pharmacy claim for quetiapine XR or quetiapine IR between October 2, 2008, and July 31, 2010.