Economic Burden of Spinal Muscular Atrophy: An Analysis of Claims Data

Belter, Lisa; Cruz, Rosángel; Kulas, Sierra; McGinnis, Emily; Dabbous, Omar; Jarecki, Jill

doi:10.1080/20016689.2020.1843277

Open AccessArticle

Economic Burden of Spinal Muscular Atrophy: An Analysis of Claims Data

by

Lisa Belter

^1,*,

Rosángel Cruz

¹,

Sierra Kulas

²,

Emily McGinnis

²,

Omar Dabbous

² and

Jill Jarecki

¹

Research Department, Cure SMA, Elk Grove Village, IL, USA

²

Novartis Gene Therapies, Bannockburn, IL, USA

^*

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

J. Mark. Access Health Policy 2020, 8(1), 1843277; https://doi.org/10.1080/20016689.2020.1843277

Submission received: 8 June 2020 / Revised: 13 October 2020 / Accepted: 23 October 2020 / Published: 8 November 2020

Download

Abstract

Background: Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a rare genetic neuromuscular disease. Objective: Characterize direct costs associated with SMA management. Data source: Truven Health Analytics MarketScan claims data (2012–2016). Patients: Eligible patients had ≥2 SMA-related medical claims ≥30 days apart. Patients were matched (1:1) to controls by birth year, gender, and geographic region. Patients were categorized as having infantile, child, or juvenile SMA based on diagnosis at age <1, 1–3, or 3–18 years, respectively. Main outcome measures: Annual inpatient and outpatient insurance claims and costs (2019 USD) for cases versus controls. Results: Fifty-eight, 56, and 279 cases and controls comprised the infantile, child, and juvenile cohorts, respectively. Cases had more inpatient claims than controls (infantile: 60.3% vs 1.7%; child: 35.7% vs 3.6%; juvenile: 47.0% vs 4.3%; all P ≤ 0.002). Mean net payments for inpatient admissions were higher for cases versus controls (infantile: $118,609.00 vs $58.79; child: $26,940.01 vs $143.56; juvenile: $39,389.91 vs $701.21; all P ≤ 0.01), as were mean net payments for outpatient services (infantile: $55,537.83 vs $2,047.20; child: $73,093.66 vs $1,307.56; juvenile: $49,067.83 vs $1,134.69; all P ≤ 0.0002). Conclusions: Direct costs of SMA are tremendous, often >50-fold higher compared with matched controls. Efforts are needed to reduce costs through improved standards of care.

Keywords: spinal muscular atrophy; cost; economic burden; infantile; child; juvenile

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Belter, L.; Cruz, R.; Kulas, S.; McGinnis, E.; Dabbous, O.; Jarecki, J. Economic Burden of Spinal Muscular Atrophy: An Analysis of Claims Data. J. Mark. Access Health Policy 2020, 8, 1843277. https://doi.org/10.1080/20016689.2020.1843277

AMA Style

Belter L, Cruz R, Kulas S, McGinnis E, Dabbous O, Jarecki J. Economic Burden of Spinal Muscular Atrophy: An Analysis of Claims Data. Journal of Market Access & Health Policy. 2020; 8(1):1843277. https://doi.org/10.1080/20016689.2020.1843277

Chicago/Turabian Style

Belter, Lisa, Rosángel Cruz, Sierra Kulas, Emily McGinnis, Omar Dabbous, and Jill Jarecki. 2020. "Economic Burden of Spinal Muscular Atrophy: An Analysis of Claims Data" Journal of Market Access & Health Policy 8, no. 1: 1843277. https://doi.org/10.1080/20016689.2020.1843277

APA Style

Belter, L., Cruz, R., Kulas, S., McGinnis, E., Dabbous, O., & Jarecki, J. (2020). Economic Burden of Spinal Muscular Atrophy: An Analysis of Claims Data. Journal of Market Access & Health Policy, 8(1), 1843277. https://doi.org/10.1080/20016689.2020.1843277

Article Menu

Economic Burden of Spinal Muscular Atrophy: An Analysis of Claims Data

Abstract

Share and Cite

Article Metrics

Article Access Statistics

Further Information

Guidelines

MDPI Initiatives

Follow MDPI