Skip to main content
Key Specialties
Cardiology Diabetology Endocrinology Gastroenterology Geriatrics and Gerontology Gynecology and Obstetrics Hematology Infectious Disease Internal Medicine Nephrology Neurology Oncology Pediatrics Respiratory Medicine Rheumatology Surgery
Congress Coverage
2024 ACC Congress 2023 ESMO Congress 2023 EASD Congress 2023 ERS Congress 2023 ESC Congress
Clinical Collections
Advances in Alzheimer’s

At a glance: The STEP trials

A round-up of the STEP phase 3 clinical trials evaluating semaglutide for weight loss in people with overweight or obesity.
ADVANCED SEARCH
Log in
Top
The European Journal of Health Economics
Published in: The European Journal of Health Economics 2/2008

01-01-2008 | Original paper

The burden of rheumatoid arthritis and access to treatment: outcome and cost-utility of treatments

Authors: G. Kobelt, B. Jönsson

Published in: The European Journal of Health Economics | Special Issue 2/2008

Login to get access

Abstract

Within the series of articles investigating the burden of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), this paper reviews the methods used for economic assessment of the RA treatments by HTA agencies and other bodies involved in cost-effectiveness analysis and the current status of the field. The overall methods, as well as the challenges, of cost-effectiveness analysis in RA are common to all chronic progressive diseases where much of the treatment benefit is delayed, while costs occur immediately. Also, as in all disabling diseases, much of the costs occur outside the health-care system, due to the rapid loss of work capacity and the need for informal care in the later stages of the disease. Thus, it is essential to adopt a long-term view and consider costs from the perspective of society, rather than the health-care service, to increase the relevance of the results for policy making.
Literature
1.
Scott, D., Pugner, K., Kaarela, K., et al.: The links between joint damage and disability in rheumatoid arthritis. Rheumatology 39, 122–132 (2000)CrossRef
2.
Pincus, T., Sokka, T., Wolfe, F.: Premature mortality in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: evolving concepts. Arthritis Rheum. 44, 1234–1236 (2001)CrossRef
3.
Riise, T., Jacobsen, B., Gran, J., et al.: Total mortalilty is increased in rheumatoid arthritis. A 17 year prospective study. Clin. Rheumatol. 20, 123–127 (2001)CrossRef
4.
Yelin, E., Turpin, L., Wong, B., Rush, S.: The impact of functional status and change in functional status on mortality over 18 years among persons with rheumatoid arthritis. J. Rheumatol. 29, 1851–1857 (2002)
5.
Chehata, J., Hassell, A., Clarke, S., et al.: Mortality in rheumatoid arthritis: relationship to single and composite measures of disease activity. Rheumatology 40, 447–452 (2001)CrossRef
6.
Jönsson B.: Quality of life and health economics. Where is the link? Scand. J. Gastroenterol. 31(Suppl 221), 33–36 (1996)CrossRef
7.
Choi, H.K., Seeger, J.D., Kuntz, K.M.: A cost effectiveness analysis of treatment options for methotrexate-naive rheumatoid arthritis. J. Rheumatol. 29, 1156–1165 (2002)
8.
Maetzel, A., Tugwell, P., Boers, M., group obotOER.: Economic evaluation of programs or interventions in the management of rheumatoid arthritis: defining a reference case. J. Rheumatol. 30, 891–896 (2003)
9.
Ware, J., Sherbourne, C., McHorney, C.: The MOS 36-Item Short Form Health Survey. Med. Care 31, 247–263 (1993)CrossRef
10.
DeJong, Z., van der Heijde, D., McKenna, S., Whalley, D.: The reliability and construct validity of the RAQoL: a rheumatoid arthritis-specific quality of life instrument. Br. J. Rheumatol. 36, 878–883 (1997)CrossRef
11.
Torrance, G.: Measurement of health state utilities for economic appraisal. A review. J. Health Econ. 5, 1–30 (1986)CrossRef
12.
Drummond, M., O'Brien, B., Stoddart, G., Torrance, G.: Methods for the economic evaluation of health care. Kluwer, Boston (1997)
13.
Kobelt, G.: Health economics: introduction to economic evaluation. Office of Health Economics, London (1996)
14.
EuroQol: Group EuroQol—a new facility for the measurement of health-related quality of life. Health Policy 16, 199–208 (1990)CrossRef
15.
Dolan, P., Gudex, C., Kind, P., Williams, A.: A social tariff for EuroQol: results from a UK general population survey. Centre for Health Economics, University of York, York. Report No.: Discussion paper 138 (1995)
16.
Torrance, G.: Measurement of health state utilities for economic appraisal. A review. J. Health Econ. 5, 1–30 (1986)CrossRef
17.
Brazier, J., Roberts, J., Deverill, M.: The estimation of a preference-based measure of health from the SF-36. J. Health Econ. 21, 271–292 (2002)CrossRef
18.
Wolfe, F., Mitchell, D., Sibley, J. et al.: The mortality of rheumatoid arthritis. Arthritis Rheum. 37, 481–494 (1994)CrossRef
19.
Symmons, D., Jones, M., Scott, D., Prior P.: Long-term mortality outcome in patients with rheumatoid arthrits: early presenters continue to do well. J. Rheumatol. 25, 1072–1077 (1998)
20.
Wallberg-Jonsson, S., Ohlman, M., Dahlqvist S.: Cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in patients with seroposivie rheumatoid arthritis in Northern Sweden. J. Rheumatol. 24, 445–451 (1997)
21.
Jacobsson, L.T., Turesson, C., Gulfe, A., et al.: Treatment with tumor necrosis factor blockers is associated with a lower incidence of first cardiovascular events in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. J. Rheumatol. 32, 1213–1218 (2005)
22.
Jacobsson, L.T., Turesson, C., Nilsson, J.A., et al.: Treatment with TNF blockers and mortality risk in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Ann. Rheum. Dis. 66, 670–675 (2007)CrossRef
23.
Kobelt, G.: Health economic issues in rheumatoid arthritis. Scand. J. Rheumatol. 35, 415–425 (2006)CrossRef
24.
Kobelt, G., Eberhardt, K., Jönsson, L., Jönsson, B.: Economic consequences of the progression of rheumatoid arthritis in Sweden. Arthritis Rheum. 42, 347–356 (1999)CrossRef
25.
Kobelt, G., Jönsson, L., Lindgren, P., et al.: Modelling the Progression of rheumatoid arthritis. A two-country model to estimate costs and consequences of RA. Arthritis Rheum. 46, 2310–2319 (2002)CrossRef
26.
Guillemin, F., Briancon, S., Pourel, J.: Functional disability in rheumatoid arthritis: two different models in early and established disease. J. Rheumatol. 26, 800–804 (1992)
27.
Aletaha, D., Smolen, J., Ward, M.M.: Measuring function in rheumatoid arthritis: Identifying reversible and irreversible components. Arthritis Rheum. 54, 2784–2792 (2006)CrossRef
28.
Fries, J., Spitz, P., Kraines, R., Holman, H.: Measurement of patient outcome in arthritis. Arthritis Rheum. 23, 137–145 (1980)CrossRef
29.
Kobelt, G., Lindgren, P., Lindroth, Y., et al.: Modelling the effect of function and disease activity on costs and quality of life in rheumatoid arthritis. Rheumatology (Oxford) 44, 1169–1175 (2005)CrossRef
30.
Hulsemann, J.L., Ruof, J., Zeidler, H., Mittendorf, T.: Costs in rheumatology: results and lessons learned from the 'Hannover Costing Study'. Rheumatol. Int. 26, 704–711 (2005)CrossRef
31.
Lajas, C., Abasolo, L., Bellajdel, B., et al.: Costs and predictors of costs in rheumatoid arthritis: a prevalence-based study. Arthritis Rheum. 49, 64–70 (2003)CrossRef
32.
Kobelt, G., Richard, B., Peeters, P., Sany, J.: Costs and quality of life of patients with RA in France. ACR abstract, Bone, Joint, Spine (in press) (2006)
33.
Marra, C.A., Woolcott, J.C., Kopec, J.A., et al.: A comparison of generic, indirect utility measures (the HUI2, HUI3, SF-6D, and the EQ-5D) and disease-specific instruments (the RAQoL and the HAQ) in rheumatoid arthritis. Soc. Sci. Med. 60, 1571–1582 (2005)CrossRef
34.
Marra C.A., Marion S.A., Guh D.P., et al.: Not all "quality-adjusted life years" are equal. J. Clin. Epidemiol. 60, 616–624 (2007)CrossRef
35.
Thompson, M., Leighton-Read, J., Hutchings, C., et al.: The cost effectiveness of auranofin. Results of a randomized clinical trial. J. Rheumatol. 15, 35–42 (1988)
36.
Drummond, M.F., Barbieri, M., Wong, J.B.: Analytic choices in economic models of treatments for rheumatoid arthritis: What makes a difference? Med. Decis. Making 25, 520–533 (2005)CrossRef
37.
Bansback, N.J., Regier, D.A., Ara, R., et al.: An overview of economic evaluations for drugs used in rheumatoid arthritis: focus on tumour necrosis factor-alpha antagonists. Drugs 65, 473–496 (2005)CrossRef
38.
Smolen, K., Kalden, J., Scott, D., et al.: Efficacy and safety of leflunomide compared with placebo and sulphasalazine in active rheumatoid arthritis: a double-blind, randomized multicentre trial. Lancet 353, 259–266 (1999)CrossRef
39.
Emery, P., Breedveld, F., Lemmel, E., et al.: A comparison of the efficacy and safety of leflunomide and methotrexate for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. Rheumatology 39, 655–665 (2000)CrossRef
40.
Strand, V., Tugwell, P., Bombardier, C., et al.: Results from a randomized controlled trial of leflunomide versus methotrexate or placebo in patients with active rheumatoid arthritis. Arthritis Rheum. 42, 1870–1878 (1999)CrossRef
41.
Kobelt, G., Lindgren, P., Young, A., Eberhardt, K.: Cost and effects of leflunomide in the UK. Eur. J. Health Econ. 3, 173–179 (2002)CrossRef
42.
Maini, R., Group tAS.: Infliximab (chimeric anti-tumour necrosis factor alpha monoclonal antibody) versus placebo in rheumatoid arthritis patients receiving concomitant methotrexate: a randomised phase III trial. Lancet 354, 1932–1939 (1999)CrossRef
43.
Kobelt, G., Jönsson, L., Young, A., Eberhardt, K.: The cost-effectiveness of infliximab (Remicade(R)) in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis in Sweden and the United Kingdom based on the ATTRACT study. Rheumatology 42, 326–335 (2003)CrossRef
44.
Weinblatt, M., Kremer, J., Bankhurst, A., et al.: A trial of etanercept, a recombinant tumor necrosis factor receptor:Fc fusion protein, in patients with rheumatoid arthritis receiving methotrexate. N. Engl. J. Med. 340, 253–312 (1999)CrossRef
45.
Jobanputra, P., Barton, P., Bryan, S., et al.: The clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of new drug treatments for rheumatoid arthritis: etanercept and infliximab. University of Birmingham, Birmingham (2004)
46.
Barton, P., Jobanputra, P., Wilson, J., et al.: The use of modelling to evaluate new drugs for patients with chronic conditions: the case of antibodies against tumour necrosis factor in rheumatoid arthritis. Health Technol. Assess. 8, 1–91 (2004)
47.
Kobelt, G., Eberhardt, K., Geborek, P.: TNF-inhibitors in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis in clinical practice: costs and outcomes in a follow-up study of patients with RA treated with etanercept or infliximab in southern Sweden. Ann. Rheum. Dis. 63, 4–10 (2004)CrossRef
48.
Wong, J., Singh, G., Kavanough, A.: Estimating the cost-effectiveness of infliximab for rheumatoid arthritis. Am. J. Med. 113, 400–408 (2002)CrossRef
49.
Moreland, L., Schiff, M., Baumgartner, S., et al.: Etanercept therapy in rheumatoid arthritis. Ann. Intern. Med. 130, 478–486 (1999)
50.
Brennan, A., Bansback, N., Nixon, R., et al.: Modelling the cost effectiveness of TNF-{alpha} antagonists in the management of rheumatoid arthritis: results from the British Society for Rheumatology Biologics Registry. Rheumatology (Oxford) (2007)
51.
Bansback, N.J., Brennan, A., Ghatnekar, O.: Cost effectiveness of adalimumab in the treatment of patients with moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis in Sweden. Ann. Rheum. Dis. 64, 995–1002 (2005)CrossRef
52.
Klareskog, L., van der Heijde, D., de Jager, J.P., et al.: Therapeutic effect of the combination of etanercept and methotrexate compared with each treatment alone in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: double-blind randomised controlled trial. Lancet 363, 675–681 (2004)CrossRef
53.
Kobelt, G., Lindgren, P., Singh, A., Klareskog, L.: Cost effectiveness of etanercept (Enbrel) in combination with methotrexate in the treatment of active rheumatoid arthritis based on the TEMPO trial. Ann. Rheum. Dis. 64, 1174–1179 (2005)CrossRef
54.
Wolfe, F., Michaud, K., Pincus, T.: Do rheumatology cost-effectiveness analyses make sense?. Rheumatology 43, 4–6 (2004)CrossRef
55.
Brennan, A., Bansback, N., Reynolds, A., Conway, P.: Modeling the cost-effectiveness of etanercept in adults with rheumatoid arthritis in the UK. Rheumatology 43, 62–72 (2004)CrossRef
56.
Zink, A., Strangfeld, A., Schneider, M., et al.: Effectiveness of tumor necrosis factor inhibitors in rheumatoid arthritis in an observational cohort study: comparison of patients according to their eligibility for major randomized clinical trials. Arthritis Rheum. 54, 3399–3407 (2006)CrossRef
57.
Wong, J., Ramey, D., Singh, G.: Long-term morbidity, mortality and economics of rheumatoid arthritis. Arthritis Rheum. 44, 2746–2749 (2001)CrossRef
58.
Kobelt, G., Jönsson, L., Lindqvist, E., Eberhardt, K.: Cost-effectiveness of infliximab in Sweden. ACR San Francisco. Arthritis Rheum. (Abstract 2282) (2001)
59.
Barbieri, M., Wong, J.B., Drummond, M.: The cost effectiveness of infliximab for severe treatment-resistant rheumatoid arthritis in the UK. Pharmacoeconomics 23, 607–618 (2005)CrossRef
60.
Smolen, J., Breedveld, T., Burmester, G., et al.: Consensus statement on the initiation and continuation of tumour necrosis factor blocking therapies in rheumatoid arthritis. Ann. Rheum. Dis. 59, 504–505 (2000)CrossRef
Metadata
Title
The burden of rheumatoid arthritis and access to treatment: outcome and cost-utility of treatments
Authors
G. Kobelt
B. Jönsson
Publication date
01-01-2008
Publisher
Springer-Verlag
Published in
The European Journal of Health Economics / Issue Special Issue 2/2008
Print ISSN: 1618-7598
Electronic ISSN: 1618-7601
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10198-007-0091-0

Other articles of this Special Issue 2/2008

The European Journal of Health Economics 2/2008 Go to the issue

Original paper

Patient access to rheumatoid arthritis treatments

Original paper

The burden of rheumatoid arthritis and access to treatment: a medical overview

Original paper

The burden of rheumatoid arthritis and access to treatment: health burden and costs

Editorial

Patient access to rheumatoid arthritis treatments

Original paper

The burden of rheumatoid arthritis and access to treatment: determinants of access

Original paper

The burden of rheumatoid arthritis and access to treatment: uptake of new therapies