Assessing the cost and quality of life impact of on demand only medications for adults with hereditary angioedema

Our real-world patient data showed the cost and QoL burden of HAE treatment with on-demand‐only therapy.

Novel subcutaneous (SC) prophylactic therapies are transforming the treatment landscape of hereditary angioedema (HAE). Although questions are being raised about their cost, little attention has been paid to the cost and quality of life (QoL) impact of using on-demand‐only medications.

We assessed the overall economic burden of on-demand‐only treatment for HAE and compared patient QoL with patients who received novel SC prophylactic therapies.

The main conclusions of our study are:

• Per patient/year direct costs associated with modelled on-demand‐only treatment totalled $363,795, with additional indirect socioeconomic costs of $52,576 per patient/year.
• The greatest improvement in QoL was seen in patients who used novel SC prophylactic therapies, with a 59.5% (p < 0.01) improvement in median impairment scores versus on-demand‐only treatment.
• Patients who used novel SC prophylactic therapies reported a 77% reduction in the number of attacks each year when compared with those who used on-demand‐only treatment.

 The study is commissioned by the US Hereditary Angioedema Association (HAEA)