PMID- 22954018
OWN - NLM
STAT- MEDLINE
DCOM- 20130211
LR  - 20151119
IS  - 1532-4303 (Electronic)
IS  - 0277-0903 (Linking)
VI  - 49
IP  - 8
DP  - 2012 Oct
TI  - A 36-month study on the cost/utility of add-on omalizumab in persistent 
      difficult-to-treat atopic asthma in Italy.
PG  - 843-8
LID - 10.3109/02770903.2012.717659 [doi]
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Omalizumab is a biological treatment for difficult-to-treat allergic 
      asthma. Its mechanism of action relies on impeding the binding of immunoglobulin 
      E (IgE) to specific cellular receptors, thus blocking the inflammatory cascade. 
      At present, no long-term data are available on its cost/effectiveness. The aim of 
      this study is to assess long-term clinical outcomes and to measure the 
      cost/utility of long-term omalizumab use in difficult-to-treat allergic 
      asthmatics. METHODS: The clinical, economic, and quality-of-life (QoL) outcomes 
      of 36-month add-on omalizumab therapy were compared to equivalent outcomes for 
      the year before the therapy's introduction in a cohort (n = 16) of adults with 
      severe uncontrolled atopic asthma on chronic high-dose antiasthma treatments. The 
      variables considered were lung function, IgE levels, health status, Asthma 
      Control Test (ACT) score, QoL (St. George Questionnaire), general practitioner 
      (GP) and specialist visits, number and duration of hospitalizations, emergency 
      room admission, and pharmacological treatment (both dose and duration). Derived 
      calculated indicators were changes in health-related QoL, total healthcare costs, 
      and incremental cost/utility. Data from the two periods were tested for 
      statistically significant differences according to Student's t test and p < .05 
      was accepted. RESULTS: Add-on omalizumab significantly and progressively improved 
      asthma control and patient health-related QoL. Symptomatic drug and hospital care 
      costs for these patients dropped significantly. A euro450 increase in overall 
      monthly costs was observed; however, when health benefits were considered, this 
      cost increase translated into an incremental cost/utility ratio of euro23,880 per 
      quality-adjusted life year gained, which is quite a favorable and convenient 
      figure in terms of the willingness to pay for health benefits in industrialized 
      countries. CONCLUSIONS: The 36-month add-on omalizumab therapy persistently 
      improved all clinical outcomes in difficult-to-treat asthmatic patients. Costs 
      were also optimized and related to the extent of long-term health benefits 
      achieved.
FAU - Dal Negro, Roberto Walter
AU  - Dal Negro RW
AD  - Lung Unit, Orlandi General Hospital, Bussolengo, Verona, Italy.
FAU - Tognella, Silvia
AU  - Tognella S
FAU - Pradelli, Lorenzo
AU  - Pradelli L
LA  - eng
PT  - Comparative Study
PT  - Journal Article
DEP - 20120907
PL  - England
TA  - J Asthma
JT  - The Journal of asthma : official journal of the Association for the Care of 
      Asthma
JID - 8106454
RN  - 0 (Anti-Asthmatic Agents)
RN  - 0 (Antibodies, Anti-Idiotypic)
RN  - 0 (Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized)
RN  - 2P471X1Z11 (Omalizumab)
RN  - 37341-29-0 (Immunoglobulin E)
SB  - IM
MH  - Adult
MH  - Anti-Asthmatic Agents/economics/*therapeutic use
MH  - Antibodies, Anti-Idiotypic/economics/*therapeutic use
MH  - Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized/economics/*therapeutic use
MH  - Asthma/*drug therapy/economics/immunology/physiopathology
MH  - Cohort Studies
MH  - Cost-Benefit Analysis
MH  - Female
MH  - Forced Expiratory Volume/drug effects
MH  - Humans
MH  - Immunoglobulin E/blood
MH  - Italy
MH  - Male
MH  - Middle Aged
MH  - Omalizumab
MH  - Quality of Life
EDAT- 2012/09/08 06:00
MHDA- 2013/02/12 06:00
CRDT- 2012/09/08 06:00
PHST- 2012/09/08 06:00 [entrez]
PHST- 2012/09/08 06:00 [pubmed]
PHST- 2013/02/12 06:00 [medline]
AID - 10.3109/02770903.2012.717659 [doi]
PST - ppublish
SO  - J Asthma. 2012 Oct;49(8):843-8. doi: 10.3109/02770903.2012.717659. Epub 2012 Sep 
      7.