PMS36 THE ECONOMIC BURDEN OF FIBROMYALGIA IN CHINA

Abstract

Fibromyalgia (FMS) is a chronic pain disorder affecting muscles and soft tissue while causing significant health and economic burden to patients. A health economic model was constructed to estimate the economic burden of FMS in China. A micro-costing approach was undertaken to model the direct and indirect costs associated with FMS in China. Data for the model was sourced from a physician survey, a literature review, and publicly available data. Direct costs included medications for the treatment of FMS and FMS-related comorbidities, and healthcare resource utilization (physician visits, hospitalizations, blood tests, and radiographic tests). FMS treatments included NSAIDs, pregabalin, duloxetine, amitriptyline, tramadol, Chinese medicine, physiotherapy, and acupuncture. The model considered FMS-related comorbidities of anxiety, depression, and sleep disturbance. Indirect costs included lost wages from job loss due to fibromyalgia. All costs are presented in 2019 RMB and per patient. The model took a societal perspective. Total per patient direct and indirect costs were ¥17,377, and ¥17,813, respectively. Direct costs were driven by FMS-medication and treatment costs (¥11,216), costs for medications treating FMS-related comorbidities (¥1,863), and healthcare resource utilization costs (¥4,298). Within FMS-medication costs pregabalin was the largest contributor followed by duloxetine, NSAIDs, Chinese medicine, tramadol, and amitriptyline. Costs for medications treating comorbidities included those for anxiety (¥71), depression (¥264), and sleep disturbances (¥1,528). Healthcare resource utilization costs were driven by physician visits (¥2,787) followed by radiographic tests (¥808), blood tests (¥508), and hospitalizations (¥194). Indirect costs of ¥17,813 in lost wages were due to 32.70% of previously employed FMS patients losing their jobs. Patients with fibromyalgia have a significant economic burden on the Chinese health care system. Medications to better control FMS could potentially reduce both direct and indirect costs.