Current medical research and opinion
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Comparative Study Observational Study
Direct treatment cost outcomes among patients with medial meniscus deficiency: results from a 24-month surveillance study.
Objective: Meniscus deficiency is highly prevalent in the United States and represents a substantial societal cost burden. The objective of this case series was to evaluate and compare direct costs associated with treatment for acute or degenerative medial meniscus deficiency. Methods: Case series patients (n = 50) received either non-surgical therapy or an operative partial meniscectomy based on clinical assessment by the principal study investigator which included physical examination and MRI. ⋯ By 24 months, average direct treatment costs were highest for patients who received a partial medial meniscectomy at study initiation ($4488 ± $1265) compared to patients who received non-surgical care at study initiation ($4092 ± $7466), although differences in average direct treatment costs were not statistically significant across treatment cohorts (p = .830). Average direct treatment costs were highest for the subgroup of patients who initiated non-surgical therapy but received a subsequent total knee arthroplasty during the study period (n = 2; $32,197 ± $169). Conclusion: Findings from this case series suggests that patients with acute or degenerative meniscus deficiency incur substantial direct treatment costs related to their knee pathology, particularly for patients receiving total knee arthroplasty.
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Objective: Fosamprenavir, a protease inhibitor (PI) to treat human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients, has been approved in more than 40 countries and mainly used with nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors. In Japan, Lexiva tablet (fosamprenavir calcium hydrate) has been marketed since January 2005 and used in clinical practice. The safety and effectiveness of fosamprenavir in HIV-infected Japanese patients were evaluated in an observational surveillance study (OTH112334). ⋯ ADRs were more frequent in patients with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention category B (AIDS or lipid disorders) or in those taking fosamprenavir combined with abacavir and lamivudine. Although spontaneous bleeding has been reported in hemophiliac patients taking other PIs, in this survey, only one muscle haemorrhage case was reported in 24 hemophiliac patients. Conclusions: The results of this PMS analysis in Japan support its known safety profile and identified no new safety risks for people living with HIV/AIDS in Japan currently on, or beginning treatment with, fosamprenavir.
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Comparative Study Observational Study
Real-world healthcare resource utilization in patients with indolent non-Hodgkin lymphoma: differences between patients treated with first-line ibrutinib or bendamustine + rituximab.
Objective: This study evaluated the real-world healthcare resource utilization (HCRU) and costs in patients diagnosed with an indolent non-Hodgkin lymphoma (iNHL) and treated with either first-line ibrutinib monotherapy (IbM) therapy or bendamustine plus rituximab combination therapy (BR). Methods: Treatment-naïve iNHL patients in the IBM MarketScan Research Databases were identified based on the first prescription of either IbM or BR therapy between 02/01/2014 and 08/30/2017. Results: A greater proportion of IbM patients (n = 207) had at least one inpatient admission (IP) or emergency room visit (ER), both all-cause and iNHL-related, than BR (n = 1337) patients. ⋯ No differences in total costs were found. Outpatients costs were higher in IbM patients and medical costs were higher in BR patients. Conclusions: These real-world findings highlight the importance of considering the healthcare resource utilization and the associated costs of iNHL patients which may be associated with their first-line therapy.
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Objectives: The Atopic Dermatitis Control Tool (ADCT) was designed to evaluate patient-perceived AD control and facilitate patient-physician discussion on long-term disease control. Methods: The study was performed in adult patients with AD. Development of the ADCT followed US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidelines on patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs). ⋯ ADCT total score showed evidence of strong internal consistency reliability (Cronbach's alpha >0.80). A score ≥7 points was identified as an optimum threshold to identify patients whose AD is "not in control."Conclusions: No single validated instrument has been available to holistically evaluate patient-perceived AD control. The newly developed ADCT displays good-to-excellent content validity, construct validity, internal consistency, reliability, and discriminating ability.
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Objective: To describe the timeline to diagnosis for children with central precocious puberty (CPP) and evaluate their psychosocial and health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Methods: A cross-sectional survey was used to prospectively collect data from caregivers, recruited via the MAGIC Foundation, of children with CPP. The control (non-CPP) group was recruited from a national panel of parents/caregivers. ⋯ PROMIS peer relationship T score (± standard error) was numerically lower for the CPP versus non-CPP group (45.4 ± 1.0 versus 47.4 ± 0.7, p = .11). Conclusions: In clinical practice, there is a longer than expected delay between CPP symptom onset and referral to an endocrinologist and ultimate treatment. Children with CPP experience a substantial disease burden with a significant impact on emotional, social, and physical functioning compared with children without CPP.