DIRECT HEALTHCARE COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH IDIOPATHIC PULMONARY FIBROSIS AND PROGRESSIVE PULMONARY FIBROSIS: RESULTS FROM A COST OF ILLNESS STUDY IN ITALY
Author(s)
Michele Caimmi, MSc1, gaia graziosi, MSc1, Luca Richeldi, MD, PhD2, Sergio Alfonso Harari, MD3, Venerino Poletti, MD4, Francesca Ariodanti, MSc5, Arianna Rova, MSc5, Chiara Vassallo, MSc1, Beatrice Canali, MSc1.
1IQVIA Solutions Italy S.r.l., Milan, Italy, 2Unità Operativa Complessa di Pneumologia, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy, 3Department of Clinical Sciences and Community Health Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy, 4DIMEC-Bologna University/University Morgagni Hospital Medical Specialities Department, Forlì, Italy, 5Boehringer Ingelheim Italia S.p.A., Milan, Italy.
1IQVIA Solutions Italy S.r.l., Milan, Italy, 2Unità Operativa Complessa di Pneumologia, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy, 3Department of Clinical Sciences and Community Health Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy, 4DIMEC-Bologna University/University Morgagni Hospital Medical Specialities Department, Forlì, Italy, 5Boehringer Ingelheim Italia S.p.A., Milan, Italy.
OBJECTIVES: This study estimates the annual direct healthcare costs associated with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and progressive pulmonary fibrosis (PPF) in Italy, considering costs sustained by the Italian National Healthcare Service (NHS), out-of-pocket (OOP) payments and costs covered by third-party payers.
METHODS: The care pathways of Italian patients with IPF and PPF and their direct healthcare costs were identified through a literature review and validated by three Italian pneumologists. These insights informed the development of one questionnaire addressed to clinicians, collecting data on resources consumption for each cost item, and one questionnaire addressed to patients and caregivers, capturing monthly OOP expenditure and insurance coverage. Both questionnaires stratified responses by disease severity, based on forced vital capacity or oxygen consumption (self-reported for patients/caregivers). Unit costs for each resource were retrieved from national tariffs and public sources.
RESULTS: Data were collected from 10 clinicians and 64 among patients and caregivers. Following diagnosis, average annual direct healthcare costs per patient were around 50,500€ for IPF and 42,000€ for PPF. Costs increased with disease severity, ranging from ~40,000€ for mild IPF to ~75,000€ for severe IPF and from ~28,000€ for mild PPF to ~56,500€ for severe PPF. The NHS sustained about 93% of IPF costs and 79% of PPF costs, while almost all the remainder expenses were covered OOP for both diseases. Anti-fibrotic treatment accounted on average for 36.8% and 21.2% of IPF and PPF costs, with its relative weight declining with disease severity as other costs surged, such as expenses related to ventilation, management of acute exacerbations or emergency care.
CONCLUSIONS: This study highlights the substantial economic burden associated with IPF and PPF in Italy, which is partially sustained through OOP payments. Furthermore, cost variations by disease severity suggest how optimizing patient care and treatment might contribute to improving sustainability of the diseases.
METHODS: The care pathways of Italian patients with IPF and PPF and their direct healthcare costs were identified through a literature review and validated by three Italian pneumologists. These insights informed the development of one questionnaire addressed to clinicians, collecting data on resources consumption for each cost item, and one questionnaire addressed to patients and caregivers, capturing monthly OOP expenditure and insurance coverage. Both questionnaires stratified responses by disease severity, based on forced vital capacity or oxygen consumption (self-reported for patients/caregivers). Unit costs for each resource were retrieved from national tariffs and public sources.
RESULTS: Data were collected from 10 clinicians and 64 among patients and caregivers. Following diagnosis, average annual direct healthcare costs per patient were around 50,500€ for IPF and 42,000€ for PPF. Costs increased with disease severity, ranging from ~40,000€ for mild IPF to ~75,000€ for severe IPF and from ~28,000€ for mild PPF to ~56,500€ for severe PPF. The NHS sustained about 93% of IPF costs and 79% of PPF costs, while almost all the remainder expenses were covered OOP for both diseases. Anti-fibrotic treatment accounted on average for 36.8% and 21.2% of IPF and PPF costs, with its relative weight declining with disease severity as other costs surged, such as expenses related to ventilation, management of acute exacerbations or emergency care.
CONCLUSIONS: This study highlights the substantial economic burden associated with IPF and PPF in Italy, which is partially sustained through OOP payments. Furthermore, cost variations by disease severity suggest how optimizing patient care and treatment might contribute to improving sustainability of the diseases.
Conference/Value in Health Info
2026-11, ISPOR Europe 2026, Vienna, Austria
Value in Health, Volume 29, Issue 12S
Code
EE574
Topic
Economic Evaluation
Topic Subcategory
Cost/Cost of Illness/Resource Use Studies
Disease
No Additional Disease & Conditions/Specialized Treatment Areas, Rare & Orphan Diseases, Respiratory-Related Disorders (Allergy, Asthma, Smoking, Other Respiratory)