CO-PAYMENT FOR ALK SUBLINGUAL IMMUNOTHERAPY TABLETS PAID BY PATIENTS ENROLLED IN A PATIENT SUPPORT PROGRAM IN BRITISH COLUMBIA
Author(s)
David Grabowski, MBiotech1, Francesca Passudetti, MSc1, Sana Hussein, MS2, Marie Chantal Arseneault, BA1, Tarek Elshabrawy, MBA, PharmD3, Peter Stepaniuk, MD4;
1ALK Abelló Pharmaceuticals Inc., Toronto, ON, Canada, 2ALK-Abelló A/S, Hørsholm, Denmark, 3Pharmex Direct Specialty Pharmacy, Oakville, ON, Canada, 4University of British Columbia, Department of Medicine, Vancouver, BC, Canada
1ALK Abelló Pharmaceuticals Inc., Toronto, ON, Canada, 2ALK-Abelló A/S, Hørsholm, Denmark, 3Pharmex Direct Specialty Pharmacy, Oakville, ON, Canada, 4University of British Columbia, Department of Medicine, Vancouver, BC, Canada
OBJECTIVES: Sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) tablets are an efficacious treatment for moderate-to-severe allergic rhinitis induced by house dust mite (HDM), grass pollen, ragweed pollen, and tree pollen. In Canada, patients prescribed SLIT-tablets manufactured by ALK are offered participation in EASE, a patient support program. EASE delivers pharmacist counseling and dispensing services, as well as financial assistance, when eligible. The objective of this analysis was to evaluate the co-payment for SLIT-tablets paid by patients enrolled in the EASE program in the province of British Columbia, Canada.
METHODS: This observational cohort study analyzed prospective pseudomized individual patient data from pharmacy dispensing records collected in British Columbia from October 12th, 2022-April 30th, 2025. Cost data from patients with allergic rhinitis with or without private insurance who were prescribed daily HDM, grass pollen, and/or tree pollen SLIT-tablets and enrolled in the EASE program were analyzed. Prescriptions dispensed at an external pharmacy were excluded. The primary outcome was the average monthly co-payment in Canadian dollars per dispensation.
RESULTS: Data from 2,102 product dispensations (n=1,510 with insurance, n=592 without insurance) involving 1,517 unique patients were analyzed. Among the product dispensations, 31.1% (n=653) were for HDM SLIT-tablets, 42.1% (n=885) for grass pollen SLIT-tablets, and 26.8% (n=564) for tree pollen SLIT-tablets The average (SD) treatment duration was 0.7 (0.4) years, and most (74.9%) dispensations were for a 90-day supply. The average (SD) monthly co-payment per dispensation was $31.13 ($31.23) overall, $21.12 ($31.19) for patients with private insurance, and $57.29 ($6.41) for patients without private insurance who benefited from EASE’s financial assistance; median co-payments for these groups were $31.47, $10.45, and $56.65, respectively.
CONCLUSIONS: Enrollment in the EASE patient support program enables patients with allergic rhinitis, with and without private insurance, to receive affordable and efficacious treatment with SLIT-tablets.
METHODS: This observational cohort study analyzed prospective pseudomized individual patient data from pharmacy dispensing records collected in British Columbia from October 12th, 2022-April 30th, 2025. Cost data from patients with allergic rhinitis with or without private insurance who were prescribed daily HDM, grass pollen, and/or tree pollen SLIT-tablets and enrolled in the EASE program were analyzed. Prescriptions dispensed at an external pharmacy were excluded. The primary outcome was the average monthly co-payment in Canadian dollars per dispensation.
RESULTS: Data from 2,102 product dispensations (n=1,510 with insurance, n=592 without insurance) involving 1,517 unique patients were analyzed. Among the product dispensations, 31.1% (n=653) were for HDM SLIT-tablets, 42.1% (n=885) for grass pollen SLIT-tablets, and 26.8% (n=564) for tree pollen SLIT-tablets The average (SD) treatment duration was 0.7 (0.4) years, and most (74.9%) dispensations were for a 90-day supply. The average (SD) monthly co-payment per dispensation was $31.13 ($31.23) overall, $21.12 ($31.19) for patients with private insurance, and $57.29 ($6.41) for patients without private insurance who benefited from EASE’s financial assistance; median co-payments for these groups were $31.47, $10.45, and $56.65, respectively.
CONCLUSIONS: Enrollment in the EASE patient support program enables patients with allergic rhinitis, with and without private insurance, to receive affordable and efficacious treatment with SLIT-tablets.
Conference/Value in Health Info
2026-05, ISPOR 2026, Philadelphia, PA, USA
Value in Health, Volume 29, Issue S6
Code
EE74
Topic
Economic Evaluation
Topic Subcategory
Cost/Cost of Illness/Resource Use Studies
Disease
SDC: Respiratory-Related Disorders (Allergy, Asthma, Smoking, Other Respiratory)