Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on HPV Vaccinations in Switzerland and Greece: Road to Recovery.

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused significant disruptions to healthcare, including reduced administration of routinely recommended HPV vaccines in a number of European countries. Because the extent and trends of accumulated vaccine dose deficits may vary by country, decision-makers need country-specific information regarding vaccine deficits to plan effective catch-up initiatives. To address this knowledge gap in Switzerland and Greece, this study used a previously published COVID-19 recovery calculator and historical vaccine sales data to quantify the cumulative number of missed doses and the catch-up rate required to clear the deficit in Switzerland and Greece. The resultant cumulative deficit in HPV doses for Switzerland and Greece were 24.4% and 21.7%, respectively, of the total number of doses disseminated in 2019. To clear the dose deficit by December 2025, monthly vaccination rates must be increased by 6.3% and 6.0% compared to 2019 rates in Switzerland and Greece, respectively. This study demonstrates that administration rates of routine HPV vaccines decreased significantly among Swiss and Greek adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic and that a sustained increase in vaccination rates is necessary to recover the HPV dose deficits identified and to prevent long-term public health consequences.

Preference for Type 2 Diabetes Therapies in the United States: A Discrete Choice Experiment.

INTRODUCTION: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a chronic condition associated with substantial clinical and economic burden. As multiple therapeutic options are available, patient preferences on treatment characteristics are key in T2DM therapeutic decision-making. This study aimed to determine the preferences of US patients with T2DM for therapies recommended for first pharmacologic intensification after metformin. METHODS: As part of a discrete choice experiment, an online survey was designed using literature review and qualitative interview findings. Eligibility was met by US patients with T2DM who were aged 18 years or older with an HbA1c ≥ 6.5%. Anonymized therapy profiles were created from six antidiabetic therapies including oral and injectable semaglutide, dulaglutide, empagliflozin, sitagliptin, and thiazolidinediones. RESULTS: Eligible patients (n = 500) had a mean HbA1c of 7.4%, and a mean BMI of 32.0 kg/m2, the majority of which (72.2%) were injectable-naïve. The treatment characteristic with greatest importance was mode and frequency of administration (35.5%), followed by body weight change (29.2%), cardiovascular event risk (19.1%), hypoglycemic event risk (9.9%), and HbA1c change (6.5%). An oral semaglutide-like profile was preferred by 91.9-70.1% of respondents depending on the comparator agent, and preference was significant in each comparison (p < 0.05); an injectable semaglutide-like profile was preferred by 89.3-55.7% of respondents in each comparison depending on the comparator agent. CONCLUSION: Patients with T2DM in the USA are significantly more likely to prefer oral or injectable semaglutide-like profiles over those of key comparators from the glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonist, sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitor, dipeptidyl peptidase 4 inhibitor, and thiazolidinedione classes.

Systematic Literature Review of Real-world Evidence of Ceftolozane/Tazobactam for the Treatment of Respiratory Infections.

INTRODUCTION: Gram-negative nosocomial pneumonia (NP), including hospital-acquired bacterial pneumonia (HABP), ventilated HABP (vHABP), and ventilator-associated bacterial pneumonia (VABP), is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality. Common pathogens, including Enterobacterales and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, are prevalent in healthcare settings and have few effective treatment options due to high rates of antibacterial resistance. Resistant pathogens are associated with significantly worse outcomes, relative to patients with susceptible infections. Ceftolozane/tazobactam (C/T) has established efficacy in clinical trials of patients with NP. This review aims to collate data on C/T use for HABP/vHABP/VABP infections in real-world clinical practice. METHODS: This systematic literature review searched online biomedical databases for real-world studies of C/T used to treat Gram-negative respiratory tract infections (RTIs) between January 2009 and June 2020. RESULTS: Thirty-three studies comprising 658 patients were identified. Pneumonia was the most common infection treated with C/T (85%), with a smaller number of unspecified RTIs (9%) and tracheobronchitis (5%) reported. The majority of patients had respiratory infections caused by P. aeruginosa (92.8%), of which 88.1% were multidrug-resistant. Examination of these studies demonstrated an increase in the percentage of patients receiving the recommended dose of C/T for respiratory infections (3 g q8h or renal impairment-adjusted) over time (36.8% of patients in 2017 to 71.5% in 2020). Clinical success rates ranged from 51.4 to 100%, with 10 studies (55.6% of studies reporting clinical success) reporting clinical success rates of > 70%; microbiological success rates ranged from 57.0 to 100.0%, with three studies (60.0% of studies reporting microbiological success) reporting microbiological success rates of > 70%. Thirty-day mortality ranged from 0.0 to 33.0%, with nine studies (90% of studies reporting mortality) reporting 30-day mortality of < 30%. CONCLUSIONS: The studies identified in this review demonstrate that C/T shows similar outcomes as those seen in clinical trials, despite the higher frequency of multidrug-resistant pathogens, and comorbidities that may have been excluded from the trials.

Real-world use of ceftolozane/tazobactam: a systematic literature review.

BACKGROUND: Antibacterial-resistant gram-negative infections are a serious risk to global public health. Resistant Enterobacterales and Pseudomonas aeruginosa are highly prevalent, particularly in healthcare settings, and there are limited effective treatment options. Patients with infections caused by resistant pathogens have considerably worse outcomes, and incur significantly higher costs, relative to patients with susceptible infections. Ceftolozane/tazobactam (C/T) has established efficacy in clinical trials. This review aimed to collate data on C/T use in clinical practice. METHODS: This systematic literature review searched online biomedical databases for real-world studies of C/T for gram-negative infections up to June 2020. Relevant study, patient, and treatment characteristics, microbiology, and efficacy outcomes were captured. RESULTS: There were 83 studies comprising 3,701 patients were identified. The most common infections were respiratory infections (52.9% of reported infections), urinary tract infections (UTIs; 14.9%), and intra-abdominal infections (IAIs; 10.1%). Most patients included were seriously ill and had multiple comorbidities. The majority of patients had infections caused by P. aeruginosa (90.7%), of which 86.0% were antimicrobial-resistant. C/T was used as both a 1.5 g q8h and 3 g q8h dose, for a median duration of 7-56 days (varying between studies). Outcome rates were comparable between studies: clinical success rates ranged from 45.7 to 100.0%, with 27 studies (69%) reporting clinical success rates of > 70%; microbiological success rates ranged from 31 to 100%, with 14 studies (74%) reporting microbiological success rates of > 70%. Mortality rates ranged from 0 to 50%, with 31 studies (69%) reporting mortality rates of ≤ 20%. In comparative studies, C/T was as effective as aminoglycoside- or polymyxin-based regimens, and in some instances, significantly more effective. CONCLUSIONS: The studies identified in this review demonstrate that C/T is effective in clinical practice, despite the diverse group of seriously ill patients, different levels of resistance of the pathogens treated, and varying dosing regimens used. Furthermore, comparative studies suggest that C/T offers a successful alternative to standard of care (SoC).

Preference for Oral and Injectable GLP-1 RA Therapy Profiles in Japanese Patients with Type 2 Diabetes: A Discrete Choice Experiment.

INTRODUCTION: Glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists (RAs) approved to date are administered by injection; therefore, patient perceptions of an oral GLP-1 RA are unknown. This discrete choice experiment explored preferences for (unbranded) oral and injectable GLP-1 RA profiles among Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D). METHODS: An online survey was designed using literature review and qualitative interview findings, and administered to Japanese patients with T2D and HbA1c ≥ 7.0% receiving oral antiglycaemic medication (with no experience of injectable antiglycaemic medication). Therapy profiles were created using Japanese head-to-head trial data for orally administered semaglutide (7 mg and 14 mg), injectable dulaglutide (0.75 mg), and injectable liraglutide (0.9 mg). Profiles were not labelled. Choice tasks tested preference between hypothetical profiles, preference between profiles with actual trial data, and willingness to initiate treatment. Relative importance of attributes was determined using conditional logit regression. RESULTS: A total of 500 respondents were analysed: mean age 61.2 years; 93.8% male; mean HbA1c 7.6%; 78.2% with HbA1c ≥ 7.0 to < 8%; 89% with HbA1c above personal target. Mean BMI was 25.4 kg/m2; 49% had obesity (≥ 25 kg/m2). The treatment attribute with greatest importance was mode and frequency of administration (49.1%), followed by nausea risk (30.8%), weight change (11.3%), and HbA1c change (8.8%). Oral semaglutide 7 and 14 mg-like profiles were both preferred: the 7 mg-like profile was preferred over dulaglutide (by 91.0% of respondents) and liraglutide (by 89.4%); the 14 mg-like profile was preferred over dulaglutide (by 88.2%) and liraglutide (by 94.4%). Willingness to initiate treatment was also higher for orally administered semaglutide-like profiles: 62.4% with 7 mg and 64.0% with 14 mg, versus 13.6% and 11.0% with injectable GLP-1 RA-like profiles. Subgroup results were generally consistent with the overall sample. CONCLUSION: Japanese patients with T2D appear to prefer oral GLP-1 RA profiles over injectable GLP-1 RA profiles, and administration appears to be the most important factor in this decision. This highlights the unmet need for an effective and orally administered GLP-1 RA for the treatment of T2D in Japan.

Nausea and vomiting of pregnancy and resource implications: the NVP Impact Study.

BACKGROUND: Nausea and vomiting of pregnancy (NVP) is the most prevalent medical condition associated with pregnancy. The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists published its first guidelines for management of NVP in 2016, although many current treatments are off label, with only one recently licensed treatment for NVP in the UK. AIM: To identify the current practices for NVP management across the patient pathway, and estimate the economic burden to NHS services. DESIGN AND SETTING: This was an observational, retrospective research study conducted in the Newcastle Gateshead Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) health economy area in England. METHOD: Data were collected from GP practices, local hospital datasets, ambulance services (April 2013-March 2016), and the Hospital Episode Statistics dataset (2006-2016). RESULTS: Eight GP practices participated in the study. In all, 15.2% of the total pregnant population presented with NVP. Treatment varied significantly between GP practices, and 33.6% of women re-presented to their GP. There was an annual increase in women admitted to hospital for NVP symptoms, with increasing length of stay per admission. Almost half (44.6%) of the calls to 999/111 from women experiencing NVP symptoms resulted in an ambulance dispatch. The annual cost of NVP to this health economy was estimated to be £199 804, which crudely extrapolates to £25 758 731 at UK level. Due to underestimations of costs, the impact to the UK NHS could be up to £62 373 961. CONCLUSION: There is considerable variation in current management practices for NVP outside of recently published guidelines, and this may result in substantial resource use and avoidable financial impact to the NHS.