Studies from Rutgers University – The State University of New Jersey Describe New Findings in COVID-19 (The Covid-19 Impact On Severe Uncontrolled Asthma Costs and Biologic Use): Coronavirus – COVID-19

2023 NOV 07 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Daily News -- New research on Coronavirus - COVID-19 is the subject of a report. According to news reporting out of New Brunswick, New Jersey, by NewsRx editors, research stated, “Patients with severe uncontrolled asthma (SUA) overwhelmingly contribute to the economic burden of asthma and may require biologic therapy. However, the impact of the CoronaVirus Disease of 2019 (COVID-19) on asthma costs and biologic use has yet to be evaluated.”

Our news journalists obtained a quote from the research from the Rutgers University - The State University of New Jersey, “The objective was to test the hypothesis that SUA costs and biologic use decreased during the pandemic. We analyzed medical costs and biologic use in patients with SUV from January 2017 to December 2021, by using claims data from a large managed care organization and electronic health record data from Robert Wood Johnson Barnabas Health, according to provider specialty. Of the 3817 managed care organization enrollees within Robert Wood Johnson Barnabas Health with a primary diagnosis of asthma, 348 were identified as having SUA. A nested sample of 151 patients revealed that 50% were managed by primary care physicians (PCP) and specialists, 43% by PCPs only, and 4% by specialists only. The total costs of the claims were $10.8 million over 5 years ($2.2 million per year), with 60% generated from patients seeing PCPs and specialists, 27% from PCPs only, and 15% from specialists only. During the pandemic, total average costs decreased for all care groups (34% PCP-only patients and 45% for both specialist-only and PCP and specialist patients). Inpatient and outpatient costs also decreased and were lowest for patients who saw specialists and highest for patients who saw PCPs and specialists. In contrast, prescription costs increased during the pandemic. Biologic use was steadily increasing until a twofold decrease was observed during the pandemic. Thirteen patients were on biologics: two were managed by PCPs, four by specialists, and seven by both. Inpatient and outpatient costs decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic, but prescription costs increased.”

According to the news editors, the research concluded: “Biologic use was increasing among patients with SUA before the pandemic but then drastically decreased and remained lower during the observational interval.”

This research has been peer-reviewed.

For more information on this research see: The Covid-19 Impact On Severe Uncontrolled Asthma Costs and Biologic Use. Allergy and Asthma Proceedings, 2023;44(5):340-344. Allergy and Asthma Proceedings can be contacted at: Ocean Side Publications Inc, 95 Pitman St, Providence, RI 02906, USA.

Our news journalists report that additional information may be obtained by contacting Reynold A. Panettieri, Rutgers University - The State University of New Jersey Inst Translat Med & Sci, New Brunswick, NJ, United States. Additional authors for this research include Najm S. Khan, Elizabeth Rubin, Bernard McKenna, Bernard L. Palowitch, Frank Sonnenberg and Judith Argon.

The direct object identifier (DOI) for that additional information is: https://doi.org/10.2500/aap.2023.44.230045. This DOI is a link to an online electronic document that is either free or for purchase, and can be your direct source for a journal article and its citation.

(Our reports deliver fact-based news of research and discoveries from around the world.)