Single inhaler triple therapy in patients with advanced COPD: healthcare resource utilisation and cost data from the FULFIL study

Abstract

Background: FULFIL compared once-daily fluticasone furoate/umeclidinium/vilanterol (FF/UMEC/VI) 100μg/62.5μg/25μg via the ELLIPTA ® inhaler with twice-daily budesonide/formoterol (BUD/FOR) 400μg/12μg via the Turbuhaler ® in patients (pts) with advanced COPD, showing statistically significant improvements in lung function and health-related quality of life with FF/UMEC/VI (Lomas et al. ERJ 2016;48:PA4629). We report healthcare resource utilisation and cost data from FULFIL. Methods: Pts recorded unscheduled healthcare contacts (all-cause and COPD-related), including home visits, physician visits, urgent care/outpatient visits, emergency room visits, number of hospitalisation days and contacts for COPD exacerbations. Healthcare costs were calculated from 2016 UK National Health Service Reference Costs ( post hoc ). Results: Over 24 weeks (ITT; FF/UMEC/VI, n=911; BUD/FOR, n=899), slightly fewer pts required overall healthcare contacts in the FF/UMEC/VI arm (19%) than BUD/FOR arm (20%). The proportion requiring contacts for exacerbations was lower for FF/UMEC/VI (8%) vs BUD/FOR (11%). Over 52 weeks (extension population [EXT]; FF/UMEC/VI, n=210; BUD/FOR, n=220), fewer pts in the FF/UMEC/VI arm vs the BUD/FOR arm required overall healthcare contacts or contacts for exacerbations (25% vs 33% and 12% vs 21%, respectively). Based on non-drug healthcare utilisation, non-drug costs per patient per year were lower for FF/UMEC/VI than BUD/FOR in the ITT (£653.80 vs £763.31) and EXT (£749.22 vs £988.03). Conclusion: FF/UMEC/VI resulted in reduced healthcare contacts for exacerbations and non-drug healthcare costs among pts with COPD compared with BUD/FOR. Funding GSK (CTT116853)