Table 7.
Comparison of asthma-related health care costs (£/patient/year) between matched treatment groups for baseline and outcome years, including changes (Δ) in costs from baseline to outcome years
| Health economic measure | Baseline
|
Outcome
|
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EHa | OH | P-valueb | EH | OH | P-valueb | |
| Total costs (£) | ||||||
| Mean (SD) | 165.2 (179.9) | 179.2 (231.2) | 0.099 | 192.1 (223.9) | 215.4 (268.5) | 0.025 |
| Median (IQR) | 113.8 (68.8, 198.9) | 106.7 (63.3, 208.5) | 117.4 (66.1, 223.5) | 128.9 (69.2, 251.0) | ||
| Δ Total costs (£) | ||||||
| Mean (SD) | – | – | – | 26.9 (167.9) | 36.2 (158.3) | 0.217 |
| Median (IQR) | – | – | 2.8 (−46.5, 67.2) | 15.7 (−28.2, 72.0) | ||
| Asthma drug costs (£) | ||||||
| Mean (SD) | 104.6 (159.7) | 132.3 (201.0) | <0.001 | 151.3 (200.5) | 179.6 (249.9) | 0.003 |
| Median (IQR) | 53.6 (25.2, 117.0) | 65.3 (32.7, 152.5) | 81.9 (44.9, 171.8) | 92.9 (45.2, 207.7) | ||
| Δ Asthma drug costs (£) | ||||||
| Mean (SD) | – | – | – | 46.7 (125.2) | 47.2 (123.1) | 0.929 |
| Median (IQR) | – | – | 20.0 (−3.9, 62.4) | 18.6 (−2.8, 61.7) | ||
| ICS inhalers (n) | ||||||
| Mean (SD) | 4.3 (3.6) | 5.5 (4.8) | <0.001 | 5.5 (3.8) | 6.9 (4.7) | <0.001 |
| Median (IQR) | 3 (2, 6) | 4 (2, 7) | 4 (3, 7) | 6 (3, 9) | ||
| ICS costs (£) | ||||||
| Mean (SD) | 50.2 (55.9) | 59.3 (75.4) | <0.001 | 65.0 (51.3) | 70.8 (73.0) | 0.015 |
| Median (IQR) | 30.9 (14.8, 65.9) | 38.9 (17.2, 76.2) | 50.3 (29.9, 88.6) | 49.0 (23.7, 89.6) | ||
| Δ ICS costs (£) | ||||||
| Mean (SD) | – | – | – | 14.7 (46.1) | 11.4 (40.3) | 0.094 |
| Median (IQR) | – | – | 14.0 (−2.9, 34.7) | 7.9 (−1.2, 27.5) | ||
| SABA inhalers (n) | – | – | ||||
| Mean (SD) | 4.8 (6.8) | 4.9 (7.2) | 0.347 | 5.1 (6.9) | 6.0 (7.8) | 0.001 |
| Median (IQR) | 3 (1, 6) | 3 (1, 6) | 3 (1, 7) | 4 (2, 8) | ||
| SABA costs (£) | ||||||
| Mean (SD) | 18.7 (34.7) | 18.5 (33.6) | 0.863 | 21.0 (43.5) | 26.3 (59.2) | 0.024 |
| Median (IQR) | 9.2 (2.9, 22.7) | 9.0 (2.9, 23.0) | 11.8 (3.3, 23.2) | 11.5 (4.6, 28.8) | ||
| Δ SABA costs (£) | ||||||
| Mean (SD) | – | – | – | 2.3 (25.7) | 7.8 (40.5) | 0.001 |
| Median (IQR) | – | – | 0.4 (−3.3, 7.1) | 1.5 (−2.3, 8.6) | ||
| Asthma consultsc (n) | ||||||
| Mean (SD) | 1.4 (1.2) | 1.0 (1.0) | <0.001 | 0.9 (1.2) | 0.9 (1.0) | 0.658 |
| Median (IQR) | 1 (1, 2) | 1 (0, 1) | 1 (0, 1) | 1 (0, 1) | ||
| Consult costs (£) | ||||||
| Mean (SD) | 50.3 (43.8) | 36.1 (36.7) | <0.001 | 31.6 (41.3) | 30.8 (36.7) | 0.658 |
| Median (IQR) | 36 (36, 72) | 36 (0, 36) | 36 (0, 36) | 36 (0, 36) | ||
| Δ Consult costs (£) | ||||||
| Mean (SD) | – | – | – | −18.8 (54.3) | −5.3 (44.0) | <0.001 |
| Median (IQR) | – | – | −36 (−36, 0) | 0 (−36, 0) | ||
| Hospitalizationsd (n) | ||||||
| Mean (SD) | 0.06 (0.28) | 0.02 (0.19) | 0.001 | 0.05 (0.29) | 0.02 (0.19) | 0.004 |
| Median (IQR) | 0 (0, 0) | 0 (0, 0) | 0 (0, 0) | 0 (0, 0) | ||
| Hospital costs (£) | ||||||
| Mean (SD) | 7.5 (38.4) | 2.3 (26.2) | 0.001 | 7.3 (38.6) | 2.8 (25.0) | 0.004 |
| Median (IQR) | 0 (0, 0) | 0 (0, 0) | 0 (0, 0) | 0 (0, 0) | ||
| Δ Hospital costs (£) | ||||||
| Mean (SD) | – | – | – | −0.14 (48.3) | 0.41 (33.2) | 0.767 |
| Median (IQR) | – | – | 0 (0, 0) | 0 (0, 0) | ||
Notes:
These patients were on OH during their baseline year but were switched to EH at IPD;
conditional logistic regression;
asthma-related primary-care consultations;
asthma-related hospital outpatient department attendance. Easyhaler® (Orion Pharma UK Ltd, Newbury, Berkshire, England). The numbers in bold are statistically significant (P<0.05).
Abbreviations: Δ, change; EH, Easyhaler®; ICS, inhaled corticosteroid; IPD, index prescription date; IQR, interquartile range; OH, other inhalers; OPD, outpatient department; SABA, short-acting β2 receptor agonist; SD, standard deviation.