Studies from Gachon University Yield New Data on Osteoporosis (Effect of improved medication adherence on health care costs in osteoporosis patients)

Managed Care Weekly Digest

By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Managed Care Weekly Digest -- Fresh data on Musculoskeletal Diseases and Conditions - Osteoporosis are presented in a new report. According to news reporting originating in Incheon, South Korea, by NewsRx journalists, research stated, "Osteoporosis is a chronic disease that requires continuous health care spending for pharmacotherapy and examinations. Osteoporotic fractures are a major economic burden."

The news reporters obtained a quote from the research from Gachon University, "However, little is known about the economic effects of osteoporosis and osteoporotic fractures in Korea.The purpose of this study was to determine the predictors of osteoporosis-related health care costs and to evaluate the economic effects of fracture prevention through medication adherence among osteoporosis patients.Using the Korea National Health Insurance Claims Database (KNHICD), we identified osteoporosis patients aged 50 years and older from 2011 to 2012. Annual health care costs of osteoporosis were analyzed from the insurer's perspective and compared between patients with fractures and those without fractures. Adherents were defined as patients with a medication possession ratio of 80%. A generalized linear model (GLM) was used to estimate the predictors of osteoporosis-related health care costs.The major predictors of osteoporosis-related health care costs were age, medication adherence, and the occurrence of fractures (P <.001). The proportion of fractures among non-adherents was approximately 1.1 times the proportion among adherents. Health care costs per patient with fractures were 3.8 times the costs per patient without fractures. Patients with fractures had higher health care costs due to hospitalization and outpatient costs but lower pharmacy costs than non-adherents. We estimated that about $5 million of health insurance expenses could be saved annually if all non-adherents became adherents.Improved osteoporosis medication adherence can reduce osteoporosis-related health care costs by preventing fractures."

According to the news reporters, the research concluded: "Persistent pharmacotherapy for osteoporosis is necessary to prevent osteoporotic fractures and to reduce osteoporosis-related health care costs."

For more information on this research see: Effect of improved medication adherence on health care costs in osteoporosis patients. Medicine, 2018;97(30):151-158. Medicine can be contacted at: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Two Commerce Sq, 2001 Market St, Philadelphia, PA 19103, USA. (Elsevier - www.elsevier.com; Medicine - www.journals.elsevier.com/medicine/)

Our news correspondents report that additional information may be obtained by contacting S. Jang, Gachon Univ, Gachon Inst Pharmaceut Sci, Incheon, South Korea. Additional authors for this research include J.H. Byun, I. Song, H.Y. Kim, Y.C. Ha, T.Y. Kim, Y.K. Lee and H. Cho (see also Musculoskeletal Diseases and Conditions - Osteoporosis).

Keywords for this news article include: Incheon, South Korea, Asia, Musculoskeletal Diseases and Conditions, Metabolic Bone Diseases and Conditions, Drugs and Therapies, Health and Medicine, Health Insurance, Pharmacotherapy, Osteoporosis, Therapy, Gachon University.