Why carry out this study?

Advanced therapies (i.e., biologics and small-molecule drugs) have demonstrated clear clinical benefits for the treatment of moderate-to-severe ulcerative colitis; however, the economic and health-related quality of life impact of these treatments are less well understood.

We conducted a systematic literature review to synthesize data on cost and healthcare resource utilization and assess health-related quality of life for patients treated with approved advanced therapies for moderate-to-severe ulcerative colitis.

What was learned from the study?

This study demonstrates the positive impact that biologic therapies have had on indirect costs (i.e., productivity, presenteeism, and absenteeism) as well as health-related quality of life, but highlights that the high costs of biologics are not always fully offset by reductions in cost and resource use associated with disease.

For many patients, treatment switching and dose escalation were required, albeit at considerable expense, especially when switching between treatment classes and to less convenient routes of administration (e.g., subcutaneous to intravenous).

This systematic review highlights a high unmet need for therapies for moderate-to-severe ulcerative colitis that reduce the healthcare burden and impact on society.