PMD22 - The Potential to Improve Inhalation Technique in Patients with Asthma Or Copd By Switching From Symbicort® Turbuhaler® (Budesonide + Formoterol) to Duoresp® Spiromax®: Estimated Impact on The Number and Cost of Unscheduled Healthcare Events in Poland

Abstract

DuoResp® Spiromax® is a dry powder inhaler delivering a fixed-dose combination of budesonide + formoterol for the treatment of adults with asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Post-hoc analysis of the ELIOT trial – a parallel-group, open-label study – showed that significantly fewer people using DuoResp® Spiromax® had poor inhalation technique compared with Symbicort® Turbuhaler®. A budget impact model was developed to assess the potential impact, from a Polish healthcare payer perspective, of improved inhalation technique on unscheduled healthcare events and costs when switching patients from Symbicort® Turbuhaler® to DuoResp® Spiromax® over five years. The eligible patient population was estimated using epidemiological study and inhaler sales data for Poland. Costs and resource use estimates were taken from publicly-available sources and peer-reviewed studies. The frequency of poor inhalation technique with Symbicort® Turbuhaler® and the associated increased risk of unscheduled healthcare events were derived from a cross-sectional Italian study. The reduction in poor inhalation technique associated with DuoResp® Spiromax® was based on observations from the ELIOT trial. Two scenarios were modelled: in A, all patients were immediately switched from Symbicort® Turbuhaler® to DuoResp® Spiromax®; in B, patients were switched gradually, from 4% in year 1 to 15% in years 4–5. An estimated 48,674 patients used Symbicort® Turbuhaler® annually. Of these, 21,173 exhibited poor inhalation technique, which was associated with a total estimated annual cost of €281,042. In Scenario A, 1,879 unscheduled healthcare events were avoided due to improved inhalation technique, resulting in estimated cost savings totalling €707,123 over five years. Similarly, in Scenario B, 875 events were avoided, resulting in estimated cost savings totalling €329,352 over five years. Switching asthma and COPD patients in Poland from Symbicort® Turbuhaler® to DuoResp® Spiromax® may improve inhalation technique, thereby reducing the occurrence of unscheduled healthcare events and potentially generating cost savings.