[Botulinum toxin in the treatment of adult spasticity. An interdisciplinary German 10-point consensus 2010]

Budget impact of botulinum toxin treatment for spasticity after stroke — a German perspective

Aim

Botulinum toxin agents can improve the quality of life of patients with post-stroke upper limb spasticity (ULS) and are recommended by international and German guidelines. However, health-services research indicates an underuse of botulinum toxin agents in this patient group. The study aims to clarify the budget impact of treatment with botulinum toxin agents according to the guidelines for all eligible patients with ULS in Germany compared to usual care.

Methods

The budgetary impact for the statutory health insurance system was estimated by calculating a Markov cohort model with a timeframe of 5 years comparing three treatment options. Four health states were included. The base-case analysis compares standard doses of two botulinum toxin agents to usual care. The model accounts for direct medical costs. Sensitivity analyses vary doses of botulinum toxin agents and prevalence of spasticity after stroke.

Results

In the base case, both botulinum toxin agents lead to increased costs compared to usual care. Treatment with Dysport® (cumulative costs for the 5-year period: €280,321,317) is less expensive than the treatment with Xeomin® (€377,511,529). Cumulative costs over 5 years in usual care are €61,306,062.

Conclusion

The botulinum toxin therapy is associated with additional costs, but an increased use of botulinum toxin would be consistent with guideline-based therapy. In particular, it has to be considered that spasticity as a chronic condition is accompanied by a relevant loss of quality of life. Thus, considering only the therapy costs may not be sufficient for making final therapeutic decisions.

[Medical care of patients with spasticity following stroke : Evaluation of the treatment situation in Germany with focus on the use of botulinum toxin]

BACKGROUND

Upper limb spasticity is a common complication following stroke. Cohort studies found 19% of post-stroke patients had upper limb spasticity at 3 months and 38% of patients at 12 months. For focal spasticity, intramuscular injections of botulinum toxin are indicated. In Germany, it is assumed that patients with the described indication are undersupplied with botulinum toxin.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of the present study is to evaluate the medical care of patients with upper limb spasticity post-stroke with the focus on the use of botulinum toxin as one treatment option.

METHODS

A standardized questionnaire was developed and a postal survey of a representative national random sample of 800 neurologists to capture the actual medical care situation.

RESULTS

The response rate amounted to 37% (n = 292). 59% of the neurologists surveyed had never used botulinum toxin. In total, 87% of neurologists noticed barriers regarding the use of botulinum toxin, where the amount of the doctor's remuneration in 40% and the lack of reimbursement of costs in off-label use in 60% were the most commonly used answers. The achievement of an advanced training in using botulinum toxin was also stated as a general obstacle for resident neurologists.

DISCUSSION

Due to a response rate of 37% for the postal survey a selection bias cannot be excluded. Although botulinum toxin is recommended in the national treatment guidelines, many neurologists do not use botulinum toxin. The reasons can be seen from the barriers described.

Patient Registry of Spasticity Care World: Data Analysis Based on Physician Experience

Supplemental digital content is available in the text.

Objective

The aim of the study was to report physician experience–based “real-world” treatment patterns with botulinum toxin type A in patients with stroke and traumatic brain injury.

Design

A prospective, multicenter, international observational registry design was used.

Results

Six hundred twenty-seven participants with stroke and 132 participants with traumatic brain injury were assessed and treated by 17 more experienced physicians and 12 less experienced physicians. Due to the limited usage of abobotulinumtoxinA Dysport and incobotulinumtoxinA Xeomin, data were reported on onabotulinumtoxinA BOTOX only. Based on physician experience, onabotulinumtoxinA doses were statistically different with larger mean doses injected by more experienced physicians in the upper limb (59.9 [39.0], P = 0.001) and in the lower limb (101.8 [69.2], P < 0.001). Treated deformities significantly differed for both upper limb and lower limb (P < 0.001). More experienced physicians showed a larger mean change in Ashworth Scale scores from baseline for the equinovarus/equinus foot and stiff knee (P = 0.001 and 0.03). Less experienced physicians showed a larger mean change in Ashworth Scale scores from baseline for the adducted thigh (P = 0.05). Less experienced physicians had statistically significant larger change in hand pain scores for clenched fist deformity treatment at follow-up compared with more experienced physicians (P = 0.01). Physician experience demonstrated a significant difference on patients reported satisfaction toward their secondary goal with higher scores for more experienced physician (P = 0.04).

Conclusions

This international registry provides clinical nuances of treatment based on physician clinical experience in a robust sample size.

Randomized, placebo-controlled trial of incobotulinumtoxina for upper-limb post-stroke spasticity

INTRODUCTION

Efficacy and safety of incobotulinumtoxinA in post-stroke upper-limb spasticity were studied.

METHODS

Subjects randomized 2:1 to incobotulinumtoxinA (fixed dose 400 U) or placebo, with fixed doses for the primary target clinical pattern (PTCP; flexed elbow, 200 U; flexed wrist, 150 U; clenched fist, 100 U). Doses for non-primary patterns were flexible within predefined ranges.

RESULTS

At week 4, incobotulinumtoxinA led to larger improvements in PTCP Ashworth scale (AS) scores than placebo [least-squares mean change ± standard error: -0.9 ± 0.06 (n = 171) vs. -0.5 ± 0.08 (n = 88); P < 0.001], and more subjects were PTCP AS responders (≥1-point improvement) with incobotulinumtoxinA (69.6%) than with placebo (37.5%; P < 0.001). Investigator's Global Impression of Change confirmed superiority of incobotulinumtoxinA vs. placebo (P = 0.003). IncobotulinumtoxinA was associated with functional improvements, as demonstrated in responder rates for Disability Assessment Scale principal target at week 4 (P = 0.007). Adverse events were mainly mild/moderate, and were reported by 22.4% (incobotulinumtoxinA) and 16.8% (placebo) of subjects.

CONCLUSIONS

IncobotulinumtoxinA significantly improved upper-limb spasticity and associated disability, and was well-tolerated.

Relevance of sonography for botulinum toxin treatment of cervical dystonia: an expert statement

Botulinum neurotoxin A (BoNT A) is the first-line treatment for cervical dystonia. However, although BoNT A has a favorable safety profile and is effective in the majority of patients, in some cases the treatment outcome is disappointing or side effects occur when higher doses are used. It is likely that in such cases either the target muscles were not injected accurately or unintended weakness of non-target muscles occurred. It has been demonstrated in clinical trials for spastic movement disorders that sonography-guided BoNT A injections could improve treatment outcome. As the published evidence for a benefit of sonography-guided BoNT injection in patients with cervical dystonia is scarce, it is the aim of this review to discuss the relevance of sonography in this indication and provide a statement from clinical experts for its use. The clear advantage of sonography-guided injections is non-invasive, real-time visualization of the targeted muscle, thus improving the precision of injections and potentially the treatment outcomes as well as avoiding adverse effects. Other imaging techniques are of limited value due to high costs, radiation exposure or non-availability in clinical routine. In the hands of a trained injector, sonography is a quick and non-invasive imaging technique. Novel treatment concepts of cervical dystonia considering the differential contributions of distinct cranial and cervical muscles can reliably be implemented only by use of imaging-guided injection protocols.

Incidence estimate and guideline-oriented treatment for post-stroke spasticity: an analysis based on German statutory health insurance data

Background

Spasticity after stroke has been internationally recognized as an important health problem causing impairment of mobility, deformity, and pain. The aim of this study was to assess the frequency of first-ever and recurrent stroke and of subsequent spastic and flaccid paresis. Factors influencing the development of spasticity were analyzed. A further major aim was to provide a “real-life” assessment of the treatment of spasticity in Germany and to discuss this in view of the treatment recommended by German and international clinical guidelines.

Methods

The database used in this study comprised a cohort of 242,090 insurants from a large statutory health insurance fund in the federal state of Hesse, Germany. A first hospital discharge diagnosis in 2009 with any of the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes I60–I64 was used to identify patients with acute stroke (hemorrhage and ischemic). These patients were followed up six months after stroke to monitor whether they developed spastic or flaccid paresis (hospital or ambulatory care diagnoses ICD-10 code G81–G83 [excluding G82.6/G83.4/G83.8]). For patients with spastic paresis after stroke the spasticity treatment was analyzed for a six-month period (physiotherapy, oral muscle relaxants, intrathecal baclofen, and botulinum toxin).

Results

Standardized to the population of Germany, 3.7 per 1000 persons suffered a stroke in 2009 (raw 5.2/1000). Of all surviving patients, 10.2% developed spasticity within 6 months. Cox regression revealed no significant influence of patient age, gender, morbidity (diabetes, hypertensive diseases, ischemic heart diseases) or type of stroke on development of spasticity. 97% of surviving patients with spasticity received physiotherapy (inpatient care 89%, ambulatory care 48%). Oral muscle relaxants were prescribed to 13% of the patients. No patient received intrathecal baclofen or botulinum toxin.

Conclusion

Claims data enabled analysis of the occurrence of stroke and post-stroke spasticity. These data provide insight into real-life treatment for spasticity in Germany. The proportion of patients who receive physiotherapy, which is the international guideline-recommended basic therapy after transition into ambulatory care, can be improved on. Botulinum toxin as an international guideline-based treatment option for focal spasticity has not been implemented in practice in Germany as yet.