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Resource utilization with fluticasone propionate and salmeterol in a single inhaler compared with other controller

David A Stempel1, Aylin Altan Riedel, Jacqueline R Carranza Rosenzweig

  • 1Infomed NW and University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA. econmed@msn.com

Current Medical Research and Opinion
|April 1, 2006
PubMed

Insights

Fluticasone propionate/salmeterol (FSC) in a single inhaler improved asthma control in children, reducing emergency visits and oral corticosteroid use. This controller therapy also lowered overall healthcare costs compared to other asthma regimens.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Pulmonology
  • Pharmacoeconomics
  • Health Services Research

Background:

  • Asthma management in children requires effective controller therapies.
  • Resource utilization and clinical outcomes vary across different asthma treatment regimens.
  • Controller-naïve children represent a key population for initial asthma therapy selection.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare resource utilization and clinical outcomes for controller-naïve children with asthma.
  • To evaluate initial therapy with fluticasone propionate/salmeterol (FSC) single inhaler versus other regimens.
  • To assess asthma-related costs and healthcare resource use across different treatment cohorts.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective, observational database study of 9192 controller-naïve children (aged 4-17) with asthma.
  • Analysis of 18-month medical and pharmacy claims data (6-month pre-index, 12-month follow-up).
  • Multivariate modeling to evaluate post-index resource utilization, asthma-related costs, and refill rates.

Main Results:

  • Children on FSC were less likely to need short-acting beta-agonists or oral corticosteroids.
  • FSC use was associated with a lower likelihood of adding controller therapy or requiring emergency/hospital care.
  • Despite higher adherence with montelukast (MON), FSC demonstrated better clinical outcomes and lower overall asthma-related costs.

Conclusions:

  • Fluticasone propionate/salmeterol (FSC) single inhaler is associated with improved clinical outcomes in pediatric asthma.
  • FSC therapy leads to decreased healthcare resource utilization and lower asthma-related costs compared to alternative controller regimens.
  • Initial treatment with FSC in controller-naïve children offers a favorable balance of clinical efficacy and economic value.
Abstract

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