Real-world evidence characterizing the clinical outcomes and economic impact on patients with severe eosinophilic asthma treated with benralizumab is limited.
To characterize patients with severe asthma treated with benralizumab and assess its clinical and economic impact in the US.
A pre-post benralizumab comparison was performed using a large US insurance claims database between 11/2016 and 11/2019. The primary cohort included asthmatic patients aged ≥12 years with ≥2 records of benralizumab. Secondary cohorts included persistent users (≥6 records of benralizumab), patients switching to benralizumab from mepolizumab or omalizumab, and stratified by Medicaid vs. non-Medicaid. Exacerbations, concomitant medications, and exacerbation-related healthcare resource utilization (HCRU) and costs were compared in the 12-month periods pre- and post-benralizumab initiation (index).
Of the 204 patients in the primary cohort, mean age at index was 45.3 years and 68.6% were female. Patients experienced a significant 55% reduction in rates of exacerbations post-benralizumab initiation (3.25 pre-index vs. 1.47 post-index per person-year; p<0.001) and 41% of patients had no exacerbations post-benralizumab initiation. The proportion of oral corticosteroid-dependent patients decreased from 82% to 50% (p<0.001). Reductions in HCRU were 42%, 46%, and 57% for asthma exacerbation-related inpatient hospitalizations, emergency department, and outpatient visits, respectively (all p<0.001). Exacerbation-related costs decreased by $6,439 ($13,559 vs. $7,120; p<0.001). Similar results for all outcomes were observed for the persistent cohort, switching cohorts, and Medicaid vs. non-Medicaid cohorts.
Patients with severe asthma treated with benralizumab experienced significant clinical and economic benefits in the real world, as demonstrated by the reduction in exacerbations and HCRU.

Copyright © 2022. Published by Elsevier Inc.

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