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Objectives: Aim of the study was to describe the use and pharmacoutilization profiles of recommended drugs for HF patients, hospital re-admission rates, mortality rates and determine healthcare resource consumption and related costs for HF patients in an Italian region. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed data from the administrative database and included adult patients who were discharged alive with a primary or secondary HF diagnosis between 1 January 2010 and 31 December 2015. We assessed data on HF-related drug prescriptions at discharge and during a 12-month follow-up period, as well as treatment adherence and treatment modification. All-cause mortality, hospital HF re-admission, and mean direct cost per patient were also analyzed during the follow-up period. Results: A total of 69,164 patients were included. One in ten patients had discontinued all treatment initially prescribed by the end of follow-up. In total, 25.9% of patients were re-hospitalized with an HF diagnosis during the follow-up period; the mortality rate at 12 months was 24.3%. The mean annual cost per patient was €6,303.7, with nearly three-fourths attributable to hospitalizations. Conclusions: In our study, we observed an under-prescription of recommended drugs for the treatment of HF. Moreover, one out of four HF patients were re-hospitalized for HF-related causes and the healthcare costs related to hospitalization accounted for the great majority of the total healthcare resource costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Inadequately controlled severe asthma patients require additional therapy accounting for significant clinical and economic burden. Our analysis aims to determine the cost-effectiveness of omalizumab in the management of severe allergic asthma in Italy based on observational data from the PROXIMA study. Methods: Observational data on efficacy, healthcare resource utilization and changes in quality of life at 12 months after the initiation of omalizumab were examined to estimate the cost-effectiveness compared to pre-omalizumab period and results were expressed with Incremental Cost-Effectiveness Ratio (ICER). The cost–utility analysis estimated the cost per quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) gained. Direct health costs were assessed from the perspective of the Italian National Health Service (NHS). Results: Omalizumab reduced the incidence of exacerbations, number of hospitalizations, physician visits, and improved quality of life after 12 months of treatment. Omalizumab had a greater effectiveness than pre-omalizumab treatment involving 0.132 QALYs gained and led to a € 3729 per patient reduction in direct healthcare costs, excluding the add-on treatment cost. Nevertheless, the addition of omalizumab cost led to € 7478 increase in total direct costs with respect to pre-omalizumab period. Based on difference in total direct cost and difference in QALY between post and pre-omalizumab period, the ICER was € 56,847. According to sensitivity analysis, omalizumab provided a cost-effective use of NHS resources, already at 20% discounted price. Conclusion: This study offers a real-world evidence of omalizumab effectiveness in Italy. Despite the high acquisition cost of the innovative drug, omalizumab is a sustainable treatment option for patients with uncontrolled severe allergic asthma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]