Author(s)
Kuiper JG1, van Herk-Sukel MP1, Castellsague J2, Pottegard A3, Anveden Berglind I4, Dedman D5, Gutierrez L2, Calingaert B6, Hallas J3, Sundstrom A4, Gallagher AM5, Kaye JA7, Pardo C8, Perez-Guttham S2
1PHARMO Institute for Drug Outcomes Research, Utrecht, The Netherlands, 2RTI Health Solutions, Barcelona, Spain, 3University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark, 4Karolinska Institutet CPE (Centre for Pharmacoepidemiology), Stockholm, Sweden, 5The Clinical Practice Research Datalink, London, The Netherlands, 6RTI Health Solutions, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA, 7RTI Health Solutions, Waltham, MA, USA, 8Astellas Pharma Europe, Leiden, The Netherlands
OBJECTIVES: To assess utilization of tacrolimus and pimecrolimus in children and adults from a study across health databases in four European countries. METHODS: Multicenter database cohort study comprising the PHARMO Database Network (NL), Danish and Swedish national registers, and the UK Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD). Users of tacrolimus and pimecrolimus were selected from the date of first availability (between 2002-2006) through 2011. Use was assessed for children (<18 years) and adults. RESULTS: There were 32,052 children and 104,902 adults using tacrolimus, and 32,125 children and 58,280 adults using pimecrolimus. Denmark and Sweden contributed the largest proportion of tacrolimus users: 76% of children and 71% of adults. Denmark contributed with 79% of children and 68% of adults using pimecrolimus. Mean number of tacrolimus prescriptions per patient in children ranged from 2.0 in Sweden to 4.6 in CPRD, and in adults from 2.2 in Denmark and Sweden to 3.6 in CPRD. Utilization of pimecrolimus showed similar trends to that of tacrolimus (both children and adults). Children were more often prescribed a tacrolimus strength of 0.1% in Denmark (61%) and a tacrolimus strength of 0.03% in other countries (56-67%). Adults were more often prescribed a tacrolimus strength of 0.1% in all countries (66-88%). A quantity of 15 grams pimecrolimus was most often prescribed in both children and adults in Sweden (both 47%) and Denmark (67% and 76%). A quantity of 15 grams pimecrolimus was not available in PHARMO and CPRD. Here, a quantity of 30 grams pimecrolimus was most often prescribed in children and adults (both 93% in PHARMO and 78% and 79% in CPRD). Switching between tacrolimus and pimecrolimus occurred in <10% of the patients. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides an overview of utilization patterns of tacrolimus and pimecrolimus in four European countries. Utilization of tacrolimus and pimecrolimus did not vary substantially across European data sources.
Conference/Value in Health Info
2016-10, ISPOR Europe 2016, Vienna, Austria
Value in Health, Vol. 19, No. 7 (November 2016)
Code
PSS64
Topic
Health Service Delivery & Process of Care
Topic Subcategory
Prescribing Behavior, Treatment Patterns and Guidelines
Disease
Sensory System Disorders
