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, 4Department of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
1ALK Abelló Pharmaceuticals Inc., Toronto, ON, Canada, 2ALK-Abelló A/S, Hørsholm, Denmark, 3Pharmex Direct Specialty Pharmacy, Oakville, ON, Canada, 4Department of Medicine, University of British Columbia, 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)