Jason Shafrin, Ph.D., Senior Managing Director recently published an article describing treatment patterns, healthcare resource utilization, and cost for newly diagnosed Paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) patients in two large, health insurance claims databases: MarketScan and Optum. The article was published in Clinical and Applied Thrombosis/Hemostasis is titled “Treatment Patterns and Healthcare Resource Utilization of Patients With Paroxysmal Nocturnal Hemoglobinuria: A Retrospective Claims Data Analysis.” The study abstract is below.
Abstract
Paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) is a rare, acquired hematologic disorder commonly treated with complement inhibitors such as eculizumab, ravulizumab, and pegcetacoplan. This study aims to describe treatment patterns, healthcare resource utilization, and cost for newly diagnosed PNH patients in 2 large, health insurance claims databases: MarketScan and Optum. Among the 271 patients meeting the inclusion criteria in MarketScan, 57.9% were female, and the average age was 46.6 years. Among these newly diagnosed patients, 25.1% (n = 68) of patients received a PNH-specific pharmacologic treatment, and the average time from diagnosis to treatment was 4.7 months. The medication possession ratio was 97.0%, but discontinuation was common (58.8%). The average per-patient-per-month costs were $18,978, driven by pharmacy and infusion ($11,182), outpatient ($4086), and inpatient ($3318) costs. Despite the availability of multiple treatments, 39.9% of patients had an inpatient stay, and 50.9% had an emergency department visit. Better care management and the introduction of new treatment options are needed to address delays between diagnosis and treatment, and high rates of hospitalization and emergency department use among patients with PNH.