1. Geographic and economic influences on benralizumab prescribing for severe asthma in Japan
- Author
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Nobuaki Kobayashi, Hiromi Matsumoto, Kohei Somekawa, Ayami Kaneko, Nobuhiko Fukuda, Suguru Muraoka, Yukiko Ohtsu, Momo Hirata, Ryo Nagasawa, Sousuke Kubo, Kota Murohashi, Hiroaki Fujii, Ayako Aoki, Keisuke Watanabe, Nobuyuki Horita, Yu Hara, and Takeshi Kaneko
- Subjects
Severe asthma ,Benralizumab ,Access to care ,Healthcare disparities ,Socioeconomic factors ,Medicine ,Science - Abstract
Abstract Benralizumab, a monoclonal antibody targeting IL-5 receptors, reduces exacerbations and oral corticosteroid requirements for severe, uncontrolled eosinophilic asthma. In Japan, geographic disparities in asthma outcomes suggest differential prescribing and access. This study aimed to quantify regional prescribing variations for benralizumab nationwide. Using Japan’s National Database (NDB) of insurance claims (2009–2019), benralizumab standardized claim ratios (SCRs) were calculated for 47 prefectures. Correlations between SCRs and other biologics’ SCRs, economic variables like average income, and physician densities were evaluated through univariate analysis and multivariate regressions. Income-related barriers to optimal prescribing were examined. Wide variation emerged in benralizumab SCRs, from 40.1 to 184.2 across prefectures. SCRs strongly correlated with omalizumab (r = 0.61, p
- Published
- 2024
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