Healthcare Resource Utilization and Economic Burden Among Adults With Alopecia Areata in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Author(s)
Mohammed AlAjlan, MD1, Khalidah Alenzi, MD2, Mohammed Al-Haddab, MD3, Ebtessam Al harbi, BA, ,4, Mukhtar Alomar, MD5, Abdulrahman Al Turaiki, PharmD, MD6, Mohammad Arsalan, MD7, Ayman Behiry, MBA7, Samantha K. Kurosky, MS8, Gerardo A. Encinas, MD9, Jenny Austin, BS10, Ashley S. Cha-Silva, MS, PharmD11, Shailja Vaghela, MPH12, Juliana M. Canosa, MD13.
1King Fahad Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 2Ministry of Health, Regional Drug Information and Pharmacovigilance Center, Tabuk,, Saudi Arabia, 3King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 4King Fahd Armed Forces Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, 5Pharmaceutical Care Services, Eastern Health Cluster, Dammam, Saudi Arabia, 6National Guard Health Affairs, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 7Pfizer, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 8Pfizer Inc, New York, NY, USA, 9Pfizer, Mexico City, Mexico, 10Adelphi Real World, Bollington, United Kingdom, 11Pfizer Inc., Trumbull, CT, USA, 12Director/Founder, HealthEcon Consulting, Ancaster, ON, Canada, 13Pfizer, Sao Paulo, Brazil.
1King Fahad Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 2Ministry of Health, Regional Drug Information and Pharmacovigilance Center, Tabuk,, Saudi Arabia, 3King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 4King Fahd Armed Forces Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, 5Pharmaceutical Care Services, Eastern Health Cluster, Dammam, Saudi Arabia, 6National Guard Health Affairs, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 7Pfizer, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 8Pfizer Inc, New York, NY, USA, 9Pfizer, Mexico City, Mexico, 10Adelphi Real World, Bollington, United Kingdom, 11Pfizer Inc., Trumbull, CT, USA, 12Director/Founder, HealthEcon Consulting, Ancaster, ON, Canada, 13Pfizer, Sao Paulo, Brazil.
OBJECTIVES: Alopecia areata (AA), an autoimmune disease causing hair loss on the scalp, face, and body, has a prevalence of 2-5% in the Middle East. Data on healthcare resource utilization (HCRU) and the economic burden of AA in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) are limited. This study assessed the burden in adults with AA in the KSA.
METHODS: Data were analyzed from Adelphi Real World's AA Disease Specific Programme™ in the KSA (09/2022-03/2023). Participating dermatologists provided clinical and treatment information for 4 consecutively consulting patients (mild AA: 1; moderate AA: 1; severe/very severe AA: 2). A subset of these patients provided details on treatment usage and out-of-pocket (OOP) costs. Analyses were stratified by percent scalp hair loss (% SHL), defined using the AA Investigator Global Assessment (AA-IGA).
RESULTS: A total of 185 patients (median [IQR] age of 28 years [23-33]; male: 58.4%), were analyzed. In the last 12 months, mean (SD) and median number of dermatologist visits were 3.6 (2.9) and 3.0 [2-4] in the 0-20% SHL cohort (n = 56), and 5.9 (2.7) and 6.0 [4-7], respectively in the ≥50% SHL cohort (n = 88). The expected mean and median consultations over the next 12 months ranged from 4.0 (2.3) and 3.0 [2-5] in the 0-20% SHL cohort to 7.0 (3.0) and 6.0 [5-9], respectively, in the ≥50% SHL cohort. Patients were receiving a mean of 2.3 (1.8) drugs for AA. The median monthly OOP cost for prescription medication was SAR240 [135-450] per patient in the 0-20% SHL cohort and SAR300 [120-600] in the ≥50% SHL cohort.
CONCLUSIONS: Adults with AA reported significant HCRU, with frequent dermatologist visits, and OOP costs in the KSA. The burden was more pronounced among patients with extensive hair loss of ≥50% SHL.
METHODS: Data were analyzed from Adelphi Real World's AA Disease Specific Programme™ in the KSA (09/2022-03/2023). Participating dermatologists provided clinical and treatment information for 4 consecutively consulting patients (mild AA: 1; moderate AA: 1; severe/very severe AA: 2). A subset of these patients provided details on treatment usage and out-of-pocket (OOP) costs. Analyses were stratified by percent scalp hair loss (% SHL), defined using the AA Investigator Global Assessment (AA-IGA).
RESULTS: A total of 185 patients (median [IQR] age of 28 years [23-33]; male: 58.4%), were analyzed. In the last 12 months, mean (SD) and median number of dermatologist visits were 3.6 (2.9) and 3.0 [2-4] in the 0-20% SHL cohort (n = 56), and 5.9 (2.7) and 6.0 [4-7], respectively in the ≥50% SHL cohort (n = 88). The expected mean and median consultations over the next 12 months ranged from 4.0 (2.3) and 3.0 [2-5] in the 0-20% SHL cohort to 7.0 (3.0) and 6.0 [5-9], respectively, in the ≥50% SHL cohort. Patients were receiving a mean of 2.3 (1.8) drugs for AA. The median monthly OOP cost for prescription medication was SAR240 [135-450] per patient in the 0-20% SHL cohort and SAR300 [120-600] in the ≥50% SHL cohort.
CONCLUSIONS: Adults with AA reported significant HCRU, with frequent dermatologist visits, and OOP costs in the KSA. The burden was more pronounced among patients with extensive hair loss of ≥50% SHL.
Conference/Value in Health Info
2025-11, ISPOR Europe 2025, Glasgow, Scotland
Value in Health, Volume 28, Issue S2
Code
EE513
Topic
Economic Evaluation, Epidemiology & Public Health, Real World Data & Information Systems
Topic Subcategory
Cost/Cost of Illness/Resource Use Studies
Disease
No Additional Disease & Conditions/Specialized Treatment Areas, Systemic Disorders/Conditions (Anesthesia, Auto-Immune Disorders (n.e.c.), Hematological Disorders (non-oncologic), Pain)