International Journal of COPD (Dec 2018)

COPD treatment pathways in France: a retrospective analysis of electronic medical record data from general practitioners

  • Meeraus W,
  • Wood R,
  • Jakubanis R,
  • Holbrook T,
  • Bizouard G,
  • Despres J,
  • Correia Da Silva C,
  • Nachbaur G,
  • Landis SH,
  • Punekar Y,
  • Aguilaniu B,
  • Ismaila AS

Journal volume & issue
Vol. Volume 14
pp. 51 – 63

Abstract

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Wilhelmine Meeraus,1 Robert Wood,2 Rafal Jakubanis,2 Tim Holbrook,2 Geoffray Bizouard,3 Johanna Despres,3 Camille Correia Da Silva,4 Gaelle Nachbaur,4 Sarah H Landis,1 Yogesh Punekar,5 Bernard Aguilaniu,6 Afisi S Ismaila7,8 1GlaxoSmithKline, Stockley Park West, Uxbridge, UK; 2Adelphi Real World, Bollington, Cheshire, UK; 3IQVIA, Paris, France; 4GlaxoSmithKline, Rueil-Malmaison, France; 5ViiV Healthcare, Brentford, Middlesex, UK; 6Faculty of Medicine, University Grenoble-Alpes, Grenoble, France; 7GlaxoSmithKline, Collegeville, PA, USA; 8Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada Background: Increasing availability of therapeutic options for COPD may drive new treatment pathways. This study describes COPD treatment in France, focusing on identifying initial treatment modifications in patients with COPD who either initiated long-acting bronchodilator (LABD)-based therapy or escalated to triple therapy (long-acting muscarinic antagonist [LAMA] + long-acting β2-agonist [LABA] + inhaled corticosteroid [ICS]). Methods: This retrospective analysis of patients with COPD in a large general practitioner database (IQVIA Longitudinal Patient Database) in France included two cohorts: Cohort 1 – new initiators of LABD-based therapy (LAMA, LABA, LAMA + LABA, LAMA + ICS, LABA + ICS or LAMA + LABA + ICS); Cohort 2 – patients escalating to triple therapy from mono- or dual-bronchodilator-based maintenance treatment. Both cohorts were indexed on the date of initiation/escalation (January 2008–December 2013), and the first treatment modification (at class level) within the 18-month post-index observational period was described. Five mutually exclusive outcomes were defined: continuous use (no modification), discontinuation (permanent [≥91 days with no restart] or temporary [≥91 days with subsequent restart]), switch, and augmentation (Cohort 1 only). Exploratory analysis of Cohort 1 explored potential drivers of treatment initiation. Results: Overall, 5,065 patients initiated LABD-based therapy (Cohort 1), and 501 escalated to triple therapy (Cohort 2). In Cohort 1, 7.0% of patients were continuous users, 46.5% discontinued permanently, 28.5% discontinued temporarily, 2.8% augmented (added LAMA and/or LABA and/or ICS), and 15.2% switched therapy. In Cohort 2, 18.2% of patients were continuous users, 7.2% discontinued permanently, 27.9% discontinued temporarily, and 46.7% switched therapy. Exploratory analyses showed that time since COPD diagnosis was first recorded, pre-index exacerbation events, and concomitant medical conditions were potential drivers of initial maintenance treatment choices. Conclusion: Discontinuation among new initiators of LABD-based therapy was high in France, whereas few switched or augmented treatment. In comparison, permanent discontinuation within 18 months was low in patients escalating to triple therapy. Keywords: triple therapy, France, treatment pathways, treatment modification, maintenance therapy

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