| Popis: |
BackgroundMigraine is still an area of significant unmet therapeutic needs with a high degree of underdiagnosis and undertreatment of patients. This retrospective claims data analysis aimed to describe the acute and prophylactic treatment patterns of German migraine/headache patients as well as associated healthcare resource use (HCRU) and costs. MethodsThis retrospective, cohort analysis of German claims data from 2013-2017 included over three million publicly insured patients. Continuously insured adult patients were included if they received at least one inpatient or two confirmed outpatient claims for headache or migraine from 2013-2016. Patients were separated into four main cohorts based on their prophylactic/acute prescription (Rx) medication history in 2017. These four groups included patients receiving: neither acute nor prophylactic Rx (cohort N), only acute Rx (cohort A), only prophylactic Rx (cohort P), and both acute and prophylactic Rx (cohort AP). Baseline characteristics were observed from 2013-2016, while treatment and HCRU/costs were assessed in 2017. ResultsIn total, 199,283 patients were included in this analysis (mean age, 49.49 years; 73.04%, female), among which 9,005 prophylactic therapy starters could be identified during 2014-2015. Overall, 43.47% of the patients included in the study did not receive acute or prophylactic medication in 2017. Approximately 33.81% received only acute treatment, while 9.45% received only prophylactic medication; 13.28% received both. Only 28.90% of patients starting a therapy with prophylactic Rx continued this therapy for at least two years. Generally, HCRU and costs were high in the entire study population, with direct costs ranging from 2,288-7,246€ per year, and indirect costs due to sick-leave ranging from 868-1,859€. ConclusionsDespite experiencing migraine-related hospitalizations and sick-leave, a sizable proportion of patients included in this study only received substantial amounts of acute Rx treatment or no prescribed treatment for migraine whatsoever. Patients who began receiving prophylactic therapy were found to frequently discontinue their therapy early. Thus, there is a high unmet need for the safe, timely, and efficacious use of prophylactic therapies among migraine patients. |
