ECONOMIC BURDEN AMONG PATIENTS WITH POLYCYTHEMIA VERA - A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW
Author(s)
Victoria F. Paly, MHS1, Nicholas Parr, PhD, MPH2, Eva Gonzalez Viana, MSc3, Ike Iheanacho, MB, BS3.
1Takeda Development Center Americas, Inc., Cambridge, MA, USA, 2PPD Evidera Health Economics & Market Access, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc., Waltham, MA, USA, 3PPD Evidera Health Economics & Market Access, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc., London, United Kingdom.
1Takeda Development Center Americas, Inc., Cambridge, MA, USA, 2PPD Evidera Health Economics & Market Access, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc., Waltham, MA, USA, 3PPD Evidera Health Economics & Market Access, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc., London, United Kingdom.
OBJECTIVES: Despite treatment with phlebotomy and/or cytoreductive therapy, patients with polycythemia vera (PV) experience persistent symptom burden, risk of thromboembolism (TE), and possible progression to myelofibrosis or acute myeloid leukemia, in addition to treatment tolerability concerns. All of these factors can contribute to increased economic burden driven by healthcare resource utilization (HCRU), costs, and loss of productivity. A systematic review was conducted to characterize this burden.
METHODS: Embase, MEDLINE and MEDLINE In-Process, PsycInfo, Econlit, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and conference proceedings were searched for relevant studies published from 2014 (from 2023 for conference abstracts) through September 2025. Included evidence was synthesized narratively. PROSPERO registration: CRD420251233522.
RESULTS: Thirty-two unique studies were identified. Most were conducted in North America, followed by Europe and Asia. Across six studies comparing patients with PV to matched controls, PV patients incurred higher healthcare costs and had greater HCRU in inpatient, emergency department, outpatient and specialist care settings. Length of inpatient stay (LOS) among PV patients ranged from approximately 3 to 7 days in four European and US studies. Two studies observed higher hospitalization rates and outpatient service utilization among patients with TEs compared with those without. Although direct medical costs varied by region, they were consistently higher among PV patients who experienced TEs compared to those without TEs. Five studies reported indirect costs, including one large US database study (N=4,477) showing PV patients required longer and more frequent short- and long-term disability leave versus matched controls. No studies were found that examined economic burden of disease progression.
CONCLUSIONS: Across regions, patients with PV experience substantial economic burden, with TEs as an important driver. Therapies that effectively lower risk of complications, particularly TEs, have the potential to reduce the economic burden of PV.
METHODS: Embase, MEDLINE and MEDLINE In-Process, PsycInfo, Econlit, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and conference proceedings were searched for relevant studies published from 2014 (from 2023 for conference abstracts) through September 2025. Included evidence was synthesized narratively. PROSPERO registration: CRD420251233522.
RESULTS: Thirty-two unique studies were identified. Most were conducted in North America, followed by Europe and Asia. Across six studies comparing patients with PV to matched controls, PV patients incurred higher healthcare costs and had greater HCRU in inpatient, emergency department, outpatient and specialist care settings. Length of inpatient stay (LOS) among PV patients ranged from approximately 3 to 7 days in four European and US studies. Two studies observed higher hospitalization rates and outpatient service utilization among patients with TEs compared with those without. Although direct medical costs varied by region, they were consistently higher among PV patients who experienced TEs compared to those without TEs. Five studies reported indirect costs, including one large US database study (N=4,477) showing PV patients required longer and more frequent short- and long-term disability leave versus matched controls. No studies were found that examined economic burden of disease progression.
CONCLUSIONS: Across regions, patients with PV experience substantial economic burden, with TEs as an important driver. Therapies that effectively lower risk of complications, particularly TEs, have the potential to reduce the economic burden of PV.
Conference/Value in Health Info
2026-11, ISPOR Europe 2026, Vienna, Austria
Value in Health, Volume 29, Issue 12S
Code
EE402
Topic
Economic Evaluation, Study Approaches
Topic Subcategory
Cost/Cost of Illness/Resource Use Studies, Work & Home Productivity - Indirect Costs
Disease
Oncology