US Societal Economic Burden of an Inherited Kidney Disease Estimated at $7-10 Billion

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Apr 30, 2020, 09:30 ET

BOSTON, April 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Analysis Group, Inc., a global leader in health economics and outcomes research (HEOR), announced the publication of the first study of the direct and indirect costs of autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) in the US. The study, conducted by Analysis Group in collaboration with Otsuka Pharmaceutical Development & Commercialization, Inc., estimated the total annual costs attributed to ADPKD in the US to be between $7.3 billion and $9.6 billion, equivalent to between $51,970 and $68,091 per individual with ADPKD.

ADPKD is the fourth-leading cause of end-stage renal disease in the US. It is characterized by progressive development of renal cysts and numerous extra-renal manifestations, eventually leading to kidney failure. With health care costs rising, there is a growing need for comprehensive estimates of the economic burden of such chronic and progressive diseases to inform clinical practice and lead to more cost-effective decision making. Prior studies reporting on the burden of ADPKD are scarce; studies that reported both direct and indirect costs associated with ADPKD were based on non-US populations, and studies based on the US population focused on direct costs only.

"The economic burden associated with rare diseases is often overlooked by physicians, payers, and regulators," said Myrlene Sanon Aigbogun, Director, Health Economics and Outcomes Research, Otsuka Pharmaceutical Development & Commercialization. "By publishing this study, we hope to increase awareness of the economic burden associated with ADPKD, and show that the costs associated with ADPKD go beyond direct health care costs."

The research team combined published literature and government and nonprofit data sources to estimate the base scenario cost (i.e., $7.3 billion) breakdown as follows:

$5.7 billion for direct health care costs (e.g., medical services, prescription drugs)
$1.4 billion for indirect costs (e.g., patient productivity loss from unemployment, reduced work productivity, premature mortality, and caregivers' productivity loss and health care costs)
$125 million for direct non-health care costs (e.g., research and advocacy, donor/recipient matching for kidney transplants, transportation to and from dialysis centers)

While the research team's focus was on a rare kidney disease, the article notes that the lifetime economic burdens of rare diseases can be similar to, if not greater than, those of more common diseases, if they translate to a greater cost per patient. "Rare diseases in general are subject to high unmet needs, in part due to limited knowledge of the diseases and the challenges of conducting intensive research to develop therapeutic options for small patient populations," said Martin Cloutier, a Vice President at Analysis Group. "Moreover, this study provides important insights that may help clinicians target their treatment strategies for improving or delaying disease progression that reduce a rare disease's economic burden."

The study, titled "The societal economic burden of autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease in the United States," is published in the current issue of BMC Health Services Research.

To learn more about Analysis Group's HEOR capabilities, visit www.analysisgroup.com/healthoutcomes

About Analysis Group's HEOR Practice
Founded in 1981, Analysis Group is one of the largest international economics consulting firms, with more than 1,000 professionals across 14 offices. Analysis Group's health care experts apply analytical expertise to health economics and outcomes research, clinical research, market access and commercial strategy, and health care policy engagements, as well as drug safety-related engagements in epidemiology. Analysis Group's internal experts, together with its network of affiliated experts from academia, industry, and government, provide our clients with exceptional breadth and depth of expertise and end-to-end consulting services globally.

About Otsuka
Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. is a global health care company with the corporate philosophy: "Otsuka–people creating new products for better health worldwide." Otsuka researches, develops, manufactures and markets innovative products, with a focus on pharmaceutical products to meet unmet medical needs and nutraceutical products for the maintenance of everyday health.

In pharmaceuticals, Otsuka is a leader in the challenging areas of mental, renal and cardiovascular health and has additional research programs in oncology and on several under-addressed diseases including tuberculosis, a significant global public health issue. These commitments illustrate how Otsuka is a "big venture" company at heart, applying a youthful spirit of creativity in everything it does.

Otsuka established a presence in the U.S. in 1973 and today its U.S. affiliates include Otsuka Pharmaceutical Development & Commercialization, Inc. (OPDC) and Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc. (OAPI). These two companies' 1,700 employees in the U.S. develop and commercialize medicines in the areas of mental health, nephrology and cardiology, using cutting-edge technology to address unmet health care needs. Otsuka's most recently approved product in the U.S. is the first-ever treatment for autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease, a genetic disorder in which fluid-filled cysts develop in the kidneys over time, often leading to kidney failure.

OPDC and OAPI are indirect subsidiaries of Otsuka Pharmaceutical Company, Ltd., which is a subsidiary of Otsuka Holdings Co., Ltd. headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. The Otsuka group of companies employed 47,000 people worldwide and had consolidated sales of approximately USD 11.7 billion in 2018.

All Otsuka stories start by taking the road less travelled. Learn more about Otsuka in the U.S. at www.otsuka-us.com and connect with us on LinkedIn and Twitter at @OtsukaUS. Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.'s global website is accessible at www.otsuka.co.jp/en/.

Contact:
Analysis Group
Eric Seymour, 617 425 8103
[email protected]

SOURCE Analysis Group