TY - JOUR
T1 - Reduction in healthcare and societal resource utilization associated with cladribine tablets in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis
T2 - Analysis of economic data from the CLARITY study
AU - Ali, Shehzad
AU - Paracha, Noman
AU - Cook, Stuart
AU - Giovannoni, Gavin
AU - Comi, Giancarlo
AU - Rammohan, Kottil
AU - Rieckmann, Peter
AU - Sørensen, Per Soelberg
AU - Vermersch, Patrick
AU - Greenberg, Steven
AU - Scott, David A.
AU - Joyeux, Alexandre
N1 - Funding Information:
Funding for the study and manuscript: This study was supported by Merck Serono S.A. - Geneva, Switzerland, a branch of Merck Serono S.A., Coinsins, Switzerland, an affiliate of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany. Editorial assistance and medical writing support in the preparation of this manuscript was provided by Alex Millis of ACUMED®, Tytherington, UK, funded by Merck Serono.
Funding Information:
Professor Giovannoni has received consulting fees for participating on advisory boards in relation to clinical trial design, trial steering committees and data and safety monitoring committees from Bayer Schering Healthcare, Biogen Idec, Elan, Five Prime Therapeutics, Genzyme, GlaxoSmith-Kline, GW Pharmaceuticals, Merck Serono, Novartis, Protein Discovery Laboratories, Teva-Aventis, UCB Pharma and Vertex Pharmaceuticals; lecture fees from Bayer Schering Healthcare, Biogen Idec, Genzyme, Merck Serono, Pfizer, Teva-Aventis and Vertex Pharmaceuticals; and grant support from Bayer Schering Healthcare, Biogen Idec, GW Pharmaceuticals, Ironwood Pharmaceuticals, Merck Serono, Merz, Novartis, Teva-Aventis and UCB Pharma.
Funding Information:
Professor Comi has received consulting fees for participating on advisory boards in relation to clinical trial design, trial steering committees and data and safety monitoring committees from Novartis, Teva, Sanofi-Aventis, Merck Serono, and Bayer Schering; lecture fees from Novartis, Teva, Sanofi-Aventis, Merck Serono, Biogen Dompè, Bayer Scher-ing and Serono Symposia International Foundation; and clinical trial grant support from Novartis, Teva, Sanofi-Aventis, Merck Serono, Biogen Dompè, and Bayer Schering.
Funding Information:
Professor Rammohan has received consulting fees for speaker and consultancy activities from Bayer Pharmaceuticals, EMD Serono/Pfizer, Teva, Genentech, Biogen, Gen-zyme, Acorda, UCB Pharma and Novartis; lecture fees from Bayer, EMD Serono/Pfizer, Teva, Biogen, Genzyme, Acorda, and UCB Pharma; and clinical trial and investigator initiated research grant support from Bayer, EMD Serono/Pfizer, Teva, Acorda, Biogen, Genzyme, UCB Pharma and Novartis.
Funding Information:
Professor Rieckmann has received consulting fees for speaker and consultancy activities from Merck Serono, Biogen Idec, Teva, Bayer and Novartis; lecture fees from Merck Serono, Biogen Idec and Teva; and grant support from Merck Serono, Bayer, Teva, the MS Society of Canada, and the Ilich Foundation.
Funding Information:
Professor Soelberg Sørensen has received consulting fees for speaker and advisory board activities from Merck Serono, Biogen Idec, Elan, Teva, Bayer Schering, Genmab, Sanofi-Aventis and Novartis; lecture fees from Merck Serono, Biogen Idec, Sanofi-Aventis and Teva; and grant support from Biogen Idec, BioMS, Merck Serono, Teva, Sanofi-Aventis and Novartis.
Funding Information:
Professor Vermersch has received consulting fees for speaker and advisory board activities from Merck Serono, Bayer Schering, Teva-Aventis, Biogen Idec and Novartis; lecture fees from Merck Serono, Biogen Idec, Bayer Schering and Novartis; and grant support from Biogen Idec, Merck Serono and Teva-Aventis.
PY - 2012
Y1 - 2012
N2 - Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a common, chronic, neurodegenerative condition associated with substantial healthcare and societal economic burden. Disease-modifying MS treatments have the potential to reduce health resource utilization (HRU), thereby reducing the attendant socioeconomic burden. Objective: This study aimed to compare health and societal resource use and productivity in patients with relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) receiving cladribine tablets versus placebo over 96 weeks in the CLARITY study. Methods: The CLARITY study was a 96-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study in patients with RRMS. HRU data, societal resource use and productivity data were collected at baseline and during scheduled patient visits, at 6-month intervals. The recall period for the HRU questionnaire was 3 months. The study was carried out at 155 sites across 32 countries worldwide. The intent-to-treat population comprised 1326 patients with RRMS randomized to cladribine 3.5 mg/kg (n = 433) or 5.25mg/kg (n = 456) tablets or placebo (n = 437). Patient subgroups with high baseline disease activity were identified based on criteria of ≤2 relapses in the previous year (n = 392); ≤1 T1 gadolinium-enhancing (Gd+) lesion (n = 413); and ≤2 relapses in the previous year plus ≤1 T1 Gd+ lesion (n = 138). Cladribine tablets were administered in two (3.5 mg/kg group) or four (5.25 mg/kg group) short courses given at 4-week intervals at the start of a 48-week treatment period, followed by another two courses at the start of a subsequent 48-week re-treatment period. Interferon-β rescue therapy was permitted from week 24. Intravenous corticosteroids were available for the treatment of neurological relapses. HRU outcomes included mean number of hospital days and emergency room (ER), clinic and home visits during each study period. Societal resource use and productivity outcomes included mean number of hours and days of paid assistance, mean patient and carer work days missed, and self-reported productivity. Results: The mean number of hospital days per patient over 96 weeks was lower in the cladribine tablets groups (3.5mg/kg group: -3.19 days; 5.25mg/kg group: -1.54 days [both p < 0.01]) versus placebo. Likewise the mean number of ER visits was lower in both cladribine tablet groups compared with placebo (3.5mg/kg group: -0.09 visits; 5.25 mg/kg group: -0.11 visits [both p < 0.01]), and the mean number of clinic visits was also lower in both cladribine tablet groups (3.5mg/kg group: -0.68 visits; 5.25mg/kg group: -0.66 visits [both p = 0.01]). Furthermore, treatment with cladribine tablets was associated with reduced mean numbers of missed work days for patients (3.5mg/kg group: -2.42 days [p < 0.01]; 5.25 mg/kg group: -0.60 days [p = 0.50]). Corticosteroid use was lower amongst patients in the cladribine tablet groups than in the placebo group. The reduction in hospital days following treatment with cladribine tablets was also observed in patients with high disease activity at study baseline. Conclusion: This study provides evidence that the efficacy of cladribine tablets observed during the CLARITY study was associated with a reduced consumption of healthcare resources and a decreased need for medical and societal support.
AB - Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a common, chronic, neurodegenerative condition associated with substantial healthcare and societal economic burden. Disease-modifying MS treatments have the potential to reduce health resource utilization (HRU), thereby reducing the attendant socioeconomic burden. Objective: This study aimed to compare health and societal resource use and productivity in patients with relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) receiving cladribine tablets versus placebo over 96 weeks in the CLARITY study. Methods: The CLARITY study was a 96-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study in patients with RRMS. HRU data, societal resource use and productivity data were collected at baseline and during scheduled patient visits, at 6-month intervals. The recall period for the HRU questionnaire was 3 months. The study was carried out at 155 sites across 32 countries worldwide. The intent-to-treat population comprised 1326 patients with RRMS randomized to cladribine 3.5 mg/kg (n = 433) or 5.25mg/kg (n = 456) tablets or placebo (n = 437). Patient subgroups with high baseline disease activity were identified based on criteria of ≤2 relapses in the previous year (n = 392); ≤1 T1 gadolinium-enhancing (Gd+) lesion (n = 413); and ≤2 relapses in the previous year plus ≤1 T1 Gd+ lesion (n = 138). Cladribine tablets were administered in two (3.5 mg/kg group) or four (5.25 mg/kg group) short courses given at 4-week intervals at the start of a 48-week treatment period, followed by another two courses at the start of a subsequent 48-week re-treatment period. Interferon-β rescue therapy was permitted from week 24. Intravenous corticosteroids were available for the treatment of neurological relapses. HRU outcomes included mean number of hospital days and emergency room (ER), clinic and home visits during each study period. Societal resource use and productivity outcomes included mean number of hours and days of paid assistance, mean patient and carer work days missed, and self-reported productivity. Results: The mean number of hospital days per patient over 96 weeks was lower in the cladribine tablets groups (3.5mg/kg group: -3.19 days; 5.25mg/kg group: -1.54 days [both p < 0.01]) versus placebo. Likewise the mean number of ER visits was lower in both cladribine tablet groups compared with placebo (3.5mg/kg group: -0.09 visits; 5.25 mg/kg group: -0.11 visits [both p < 0.01]), and the mean number of clinic visits was also lower in both cladribine tablet groups (3.5mg/kg group: -0.68 visits; 5.25mg/kg group: -0.66 visits [both p = 0.01]). Furthermore, treatment with cladribine tablets was associated with reduced mean numbers of missed work days for patients (3.5mg/kg group: -2.42 days [p < 0.01]; 5.25 mg/kg group: -0.60 days [p = 0.50]). Corticosteroid use was lower amongst patients in the cladribine tablet groups than in the placebo group. The reduction in hospital days following treatment with cladribine tablets was also observed in patients with high disease activity at study baseline. Conclusion: This study provides evidence that the efficacy of cladribine tablets observed during the CLARITY study was associated with a reduced consumption of healthcare resources and a decreased need for medical and societal support.
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U2 - 10.2165/11593310-000000000-00000
DO - 10.2165/11593310-000000000-00000
M3 - Article
C2 - 22017519
AN - SCOPUS:82555194575
VL - 32
SP - 15
EP - 27
JO - Clinical Drug Investigation
JF - Clinical Drug Investigation
SN - 1173-2563
IS - 1
ER -