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Volpe M, Pegoraro V, Heiman F, Cipelli R. Extemporaneous combination therapy with amlodipine/zofenopril in hypertensive patients: a real-world data analysis in Italy. Curr Med Res Opin 2023; 39:1593-1601. [PMID: 36946189 DOI: 10.1080/03007995.2023.2192607] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2022] [Accepted: 03/15/2023] [Indexed: 03/23/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES To provide clinical characteristics and to quantify the number of patients receiving the extemporaneous combination of the calcium channel blocker amlodipine and the angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor zofenopril in a real-world setting. This evidence can provide a snapshot of the potential users of the two molecules in a single pill combination (SPC). METHODS Retrospective observational study using data from the IQVIA Italian Longitudinal Patient Database. Adult patients firstly prescribed with amlodipine and zofenopril between 1 July 2011 and 30 June 2020 were identified and demographic and clinical characteristics were extracted. Treatment adherence was evaluated as proportion of days covered (PDC). The potential number of patients eligible for a SPC was calculated. RESULTS A population of 2394 hypertensive patients, mean age of 68.6 years ±12.7, 52.6% male were treated with amlodipine and zofenopril. The majority of patients (54.5%) were low adherent (PDC <40%), 25.9% were intermediate adherent and only 19.6% were high adherent (>80%) to therapy. Around 42,500 adult hypertensive patients were estimated to be prescribed the extemporaneous combination in 2019 in Italy, being potentially eligible for treatment with amlodipine and zofenopril SPC. CONCLUSIONS The administration of the extemporaneous combination of zofenopril and amlodipine in hypertensive patients is a common practice in Italy. The development of a SPC can be a viable treatment option to simplify therapy and to increase adherence in hypertensive patients who are already on the two monotherapies in combination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Massimo Volpe
- Department of Clinical and Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
- IRCCS San Raffaele, Rome, Italy
| | | | - Franca Heiman
- RWS Department, IQVIA Solutions Italy S.r.l, Milan, Italy
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Shakur AA, Ranjan RK, Sinha R, Hameed S, Mohan L. A Study of Drug Utilization Pattern and Pharmacoeconomic Analysis of Immunosuppressant Drugs in Patients With Skin Disorders in a Tertiary Care Hospital in Bihar. Cureus 2023; 15:e48541. [PMID: 37954626 PMCID: PMC10632555 DOI: 10.7759/cureus.48541] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/07/2023] [Indexed: 11/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Aims The cost-effective therapy of immunosuppressant drugs in dermatological conditions will not only lead to adherence to rational prescribing but will also increase patient compliance with fewer dropouts due to cost factor. Thus, this study was done to determine and compare the drug utilization pattern, prescribed daily dose/defined daily dose (PDD/DDD) defined by WHO, and the cost-effectiveness ratio of different immunosuppressants. Methods and material Prescriptions for patients with skin disorders prescribed with any one systematic or topical immunosuppressant were collected. The utilization of drugs in different skin disorders was expressed as frequency and percentage. PDD was compared with DDD as per the WHOCC-Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC)/DDD index. The pharmacoeconomic analysis was done using a cost-effectiveness ratio. Statistical analysis Descriptive statistics were used to calculate percentages, frequency, and 95% CI. The cost-effectiveness ratio in terms of SFDs (symptom-free days) was defined as the total cost of the initial antibiotic during the study period divided by the number of SFDs (cost/ SFD) and was expressed as mean±standard deviation, and the Kruskal-Wallis test was used to determine statistical significance of difference. Results Immunosuppressants were prescribed in 117 (19.12%) prescriptions out of a total of 612 prescriptions. Deflazacort was the most utilized systemic immunosuppressant prescribed in 27.18% of cases and was commonly prescribed for irritant contact dermatitis (ICD) and allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) followed by prednisolone and betamethasone. Tacrolimus was the most utilized topical immunosuppressant prescribed in 15.90% of patients and was commonly used for ICD and vitiligo followed by clobetasol and mometasone. Betamethasone, prednisolone, clobetasol, and mometasone had better cost-effectiveness. PDD/DDD of all immunosuppressants was less than one except prednisolone, which had a PDD/DDD ratio of 3.52. Conclusions The cost-effectiveness of steroids has the advantage of providing better patients' adherence to pharmacotherapy, but over-prescribing could also lead to long-term adverse effects of steroids. Pharmacovigilance research should also incorporate pharmacoeconomic analysis to determine the relation between these two aspects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adil A Shakur
- Department of Pharmacology, Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences, Patna, IND
| | - Raushan K Ranjan
- Department of Pharmacology, Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences, Patna, IND
| | - Rajesh Sinha
- Department of Skin and Venereal Diseases, Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences, Patna, IND
| | - Saajid Hameed
- Department of Pharmacology, Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences, Patna, IND
| | - Lalit Mohan
- Department of Pharmacology, Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences, Patna, IND
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Convertino I, Cazzato M, Tillati S, Giometto S, Gini R, Valdiserra G, Cappello E, Ferraro S, Bonaso M, Bartolini C, Paoletti O, Lorenzoni V, Trieste L, Filippi M, Turchetti G, Cristofano M, Blandizzi C, Mosca M, Lucenteforte E, Tuccori M. Assessing disease activity of rheumatoid arthritis patients and drug-utilization patterns of biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs in the Tuscany region, Italy. Front Pharmacol 2023; 14:1244486. [PMID: 37818193 PMCID: PMC10561246 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2023.1244486] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2023] [Accepted: 09/04/2023] [Indexed: 10/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction: The disease activity associated with the drug-utilization patterns of biologic Disease Modifying Anti-Rheumatic Drugs (DMARDs) is poorly investigated in real-world studies on rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. To investigate the relationship between biologic DMARD initiation/discontinuations in RA patients identified in the healthcare administrative databases of Tuscany and the Disease Activity Score 28 (DAS28) reported in the medical charts. Methods: This retrospective population-based study included RA's first-ever biologic DMARD users of the Pisa University Hospital from 2014 to 2016. Patients were followed up until 31 December 2019. We evaluated the DAS28 recorded before (T0) and after (T1) the biologic DMARD initiation and before (TD0) and after (TD1) discontinuations. Patients were classified as "off-target" (DAS28 > 3.2) or "in-target" (DAS28 ≤ 3.2). We described the disease activity trends at initiation and discontinuation. Results: Ninety-five users were included (73 women, mean age 59.6). Among 70 patients (74%) with at least three DAS28 measures, 28 (40.0%) were off-target at T0 and 38 (54.3%) in-target at T1. Thirty-three (47%) patients had at least one discontinuation, among those with at least three DAS28 assessments. In the disease activity trend, disease stability or improvement was observed in 28 out of 37 (75.7%) patients at initiation and in 24 out of 37 (64.9%) at discontinuation. Discussion: Biologic DMARD discontinuations identified in the healthcare administrative databasese of Tuscany are frequently observed in situations of controlled RA disease. Further studies are warranted to confirm that these events can be used in studies using healthcare administrative databases as proxies of treatment effectiveness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irma Convertino
- Unit of Pharmacology and Pharmacovigilance, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | | | - Silvia Tillati
- Unit of Medical Statistics, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Sabrina Giometto
- Unit of Medical Statistics, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Rosa Gini
- Tuscan Regional Healthcare Agency, Florence, Italy
| | - Giulia Valdiserra
- Unit of Pharmacology and Pharmacovigilance, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Emiliano Cappello
- Unit of Pharmacology and Pharmacovigilance, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Sara Ferraro
- Unit of Pharmacology and Pharmacovigilance, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Marco Bonaso
- Unit of Pharmacology and Pharmacovigilance, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | | | | | | | - Leopoldo Trieste
- Institute of Management, Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, Pisa, Italy
| | - Matteo Filippi
- Direzione Medica di Presidio, University Hospital of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | | | | | - Corrado Blandizzi
- Unit of Pharmacology and Pharmacovigilance, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
- Unit of Adverse Drug Reactions Monitoring, University Hospital of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Marta Mosca
- Unit of Rheumatology, University Hospital of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Ersilia Lucenteforte
- Unit of Medical Statistics, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Marco Tuccori
- Unit of Pharmacology and Pharmacovigilance, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
- Unit of Adverse Drug Reactions Monitoring, University Hospital of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
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Convertino I, Lorenzoni V, Gini R, Turchetti G, Fini E, Giometto S, Bartolini C, Paoletti O, Ferraro S, Cappello E, Valdiserra G, Bonaso M, Blandizzi C, Tuccori M, Lucenteforte E. Drug-Utilization, Healthcare Facilities Accesses and Costs of the First Generation of JAK Inhibitors in Rheumatoid Arthritis. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2023; 16:ph16030465. [PMID: 36986565 PMCID: PMC10058541 DOI: 10.3390/ph16030465] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2023] [Revised: 03/10/2023] [Accepted: 03/17/2023] [Indexed: 03/30/2023] Open
Abstract
This study is aimed at describing tofacitinib and baricitinib users by characterizing their prescription and healthcare histories, drug and healthcare utilization patterns, and direct costs from a healthcare system perspective. This retrospective cohort study was performed using Tuscan administrative healthcare databases, which selected two groups of Janus kinase inhibitors (JAKi) incident users (index date) from 1st January 2018 to 31 December 2019 and from 1 January 2018 to 30 June 2019. We included patients ≥18 years old, at least 10 years of data, and six months of follow-up. In the first analysis, we describe mean time, standard deviation (SD), from the first-ever disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD) to the JAKi, and costs of healthcare facilities and drugs in the 5 years preceding the index date. In the second analysis, we assessed Emergency Department (ED) accesses and hospitalizations for any causes, visits, and costs in the follow-up. In the first analysis, 363 incident JAKi users were included (mean age 61.5, SD 13.6; females 80.7%, baricitinib 78.5%, tofacitinib 21.5%). The time to the first JAKi was 7.2 years (SD 3.3). The mean costs from the fifth to the second year before JAKi increased from 4325 € (0; 24,265) to 5259 € (0; 41,630) per patient/year, driven by hospitalizations. We included 221 incident JAKi users in the second analysis. We observed 109 ED accesses, 39 hospitalizations, and 64 visits. Injury and poisoning (18.3%) and skin (13.8%) caused ED accesses, and cardiovascular (69.2%) and musculoskeletal (64.1%) caused hospitalizations. The mean costs were 4819 € (607.5; 50,493) per patient, mostly due to JAKi. In conclusion, the JAKi introduction in therapy occurred in compliance with RA guidelines and the increase in costs observed could be due to a possible selective prescription.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irma Convertino
- Unit of Pharmacology and Pharmacovigilance, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, 56126 Pisa, Italy
| | | | - Rosa Gini
- Tuscan Regional Healthcare Agency, 50100 Florence, Italy
| | | | - Elisabetta Fini
- Medical Specialization School of Pharmacology, University of Pisa, 56126 Pisa, Italy
| | - Sabrina Giometto
- Unit of Medical Statistics, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, 56126 Pisa, Italy
| | | | - Olga Paoletti
- Tuscan Regional Healthcare Agency, 50100 Florence, Italy
| | - Sara Ferraro
- Unit of Pharmacology and Pharmacovigilance, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, 56126 Pisa, Italy
| | - Emiliano Cappello
- Unit of Pharmacology and Pharmacovigilance, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, 56126 Pisa, Italy
| | - Giulia Valdiserra
- Unit of Pharmacology and Pharmacovigilance, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, 56126 Pisa, Italy
| | - Marco Bonaso
- Unit of Pharmacology and Pharmacovigilance, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, 56126 Pisa, Italy
| | - Corrado Blandizzi
- Unit of Pharmacology and Pharmacovigilance, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, 56126 Pisa, Italy
- Unit of Adverse Drug Reactions Monitoring, University Hospital of Pisa, 56126 Pisa, Italy
| | - Marco Tuccori
- Unit of Pharmacology and Pharmacovigilance, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, 56126 Pisa, Italy
- Unit of Adverse Drug Reactions Monitoring, University Hospital of Pisa, 56126 Pisa, Italy
| | - Ersilia Lucenteforte
- Unit of Medical Statistics, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, 56126 Pisa, Italy
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Russo V, Orlando V, Monetti VM, Galimberti F, Casula M, Olmastroni E, Tragni E, Menditto E. Geographical Variation in Medication Prescriptions: A Multiregional Drug-Utilization Study. Front Pharmacol 2020; 11:418. [PMID: 32536861 PMCID: PMC7269055 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2020.00418] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2019] [Accepted: 03/19/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Studies have emphasized the importance of geographical factors and general practitioner (GP) characteristics in influencing drug prescriptions. Objectives To: (i) ascertain the prevalence rate (PR) of use of drugs in six therapeutic categories used for chronic conditions; (ii) assess how geographical characteristics and GP characteristics may influence drug prescribing. Methods This study is part of the EDU.RE.DRUG Project, a national collaborative project founded by Italian Medicine Agency (AIFA). Cross-sectional analyses were undertaken employing the pharmacy-claim databases of four local health units (LHUs) located in two Italian regions: Lombardy and Campania. Six drug categories were evaluated: proton-pump inhibitors; antibiotics; respiratory-system drugs; statins; agents acting on the renin−angiotensin system; psychoanaleptic drugs. The PR was estimated according to drug categories at the LHU level. A linear multivariate regression analysis was undertaken to evaluate the association between the PR and geographical area, age and sex of GPs, number of patients, and percentage of patients aged >65 per GP. Results LHUs in Campania showed a PR that was significantly higher than that in Lombardy. Antibiotics showed the highest PR in all the LHUs assessed, ranging from 32.5% in Lecco (Lombardy) to 59.7% in Naples-2 (Campania). Multivariate linear regression analysis confirmed the association of the PR with geographical area for all drug categories. Being located in Campania increased the possibility of receiving a drug prescription from the categories considered, with estimates more marked for antibiotics, proton-pump-inhibitors, and respiratory-system drugs. Conclusions This study provides information about the PR of medications used for treating common and costly conditions in Italy and highlighted a significant geographical variation. These insights could help to develop area-specific strategies to optimize prescribing behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Veronica Russo
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy.,CIRFF-Center of Pharmacoeconomics and Drug Utilization Research, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Valentina Orlando
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy.,CIRFF-Center of Pharmacoeconomics and Drug Utilization Research, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Valeria Marina Monetti
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy.,CIRFF-Center of Pharmacoeconomics and Drug Utilization Research, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Federica Galimberti
- Centro Interuniversitario di Epidemiologia e Farmacologia Preventiva, Dipartimento di Scienze Farmacologiche e Biomolecolari, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Manuela Casula
- Centro Interuniversitario di Epidemiologia e Farmacologia Preventiva, Dipartimento di Scienze Farmacologiche e Biomolecolari, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy.,MultiMedica (IRCCS), Milan, Italy
| | - Elena Olmastroni
- Centro Interuniversitario di Epidemiologia e Farmacologia Preventiva, Dipartimento di Scienze Farmacologiche e Biomolecolari, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Elena Tragni
- Centro Interuniversitario di Epidemiologia e Farmacologia Preventiva, Dipartimento di Scienze Farmacologiche e Biomolecolari, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Enrica Menditto
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy.,CIRFF-Center of Pharmacoeconomics and Drug Utilization Research, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
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Putignano D, Orlando V, Monetti VM, Piccinocchi G, Musazzi UM, Piccinocchi R, Minghetti P, Menditto E. Fixed Versus Free Combinations Of Antihypertensive Drugs: Analyses Of Real-World Data Of Persistence With Therapy In Italy. Patient Prefer Adherence 2019; 13:1961-1969. [PMID: 31814712 PMCID: PMC6858287 DOI: 10.2147/ppa.s225444] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2019] [Accepted: 10/15/2019] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE To analyse the pattern of use and cost of antihypertensive drugs in new users in an Italian population, and explore the patient/treatment factors associated with the risk of therapy discontinuation. PATIENTS AND METHODS In this retrospective study, information was collected from a population-based electronic primary-care database. Persistence with medication use 1 year from therapy initiation was evaluated for each user using the gap method. Each new user was classified according to his/her pattern of use as: "continuer", "discontinuer" "switching" or "add-on". A Cox regression model was used to analyse the factors influencing therapy discontinuation. Primary-care costs comprised specialists' visits, diagnostic procedures and pharmacologic therapies. RESULTS Among 14,999 subjects included in persistence analyses, 55.1% of cases initially started on monotherapy were classified as discontinuers vs 36.5% of cases taking combination therapy (42.3% vs 32.7%, respectively, for free and fixed combinations, P < 0.01). Old age, high cardiovascular risk and being in receipt of fixed-combination therapy were associated with greater persistence. Overall, the primary-care cost/person/year of hypertension management was ~€95.3 (IQR, 144.9). The monotherapy cost was €88 per patient (IQR, 132.9), and that for combination therapy was €151±148.3. The median cost/patient with a fixed combination was lower than that for a free combination (€98.4 (IQR, 155.3) and €154.9 (IQR, 182.6), respectively). CONCLUSION The initial type of therapy prescribed influences persistence. Prescribing fixed combinations might be a good choice as initial therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daria Putignano
- CIRFF, Center of Pharmacoeconomics, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Valentina Orlando
- CIRFF, Center of Pharmacoeconomics, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
- Correspondence: Valentina Orlando CIRFF, Center of Pharmacoeconomics, University of Naples Federico II, Via Domenico Montesano 49, Naples80131, ItalyTel +39 081 678657Fax +39 081 678303 Email
| | | | | | - Umberto Maria Musazzi
- Dipartimento di Scienze Farmaceutiche, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | | | - Paola Minghetti
- Dipartimento di Scienze Farmaceutiche, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Enrica Menditto
- CIRFF, Center of Pharmacoeconomics, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
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