Patient Burden in the Treatment of Wilson Disease in the United States: An Analysis of Real-World Health Insurance Claims Data from the Komodo database.

INTRODUCTION

Wilson disease (WD) is a rare inherited disorder that causes copper accumulation and can be fatal if untreated. This study used real-world data from the US Komodo Health claims database to describe healthcare resource utilization (HCRU) and evaluate direct economic costs among patients with WD.

METHODS

This retrospective observational study identified patients with WD using ICD-9/10 codes (excluding Menkes disease) between 2016 and 2019, with data spanning 2012-2020. Sociodemographic characteristics, HCRU, and costs were analyzed using SPSS v23, SAS v9.4, and R v3.6.0. The study was approved by Pearl Pathways IRB (#20-KANT-224).

RESULTS

A total of 2115 patients with prevalent WD, including 360 ever-treated (with reimbursable WD prescriptions), were identified. During the 2-year follow-up, about 25% were hospitalized, with a mean stay of 9 days, and most visited the ER three times annually. Hepatic patients with WD were more likely to undergo liver biopsy or transplant but had fewer home health visits and less use of assistive mobility devices. Annual liver transplant costs averaged $9094.72 ± 8110.23 per prevalent WD patient and $10,147.98 ± 7030.83 per ever-treated patient. Mean annual costs per prevalent versus ever-treated patients with WD were inpatient ($716.52 ± 2675.06 vs. $252.75 ± 333.39), pharmacy ($270.35 ± 1348.79 vs. $1284.51 ± 2994.85), and outpatient ($73.93 ± 156.89 vs. $60.82 ± 62.17), respectively. Pharmacy costs for adherent patients averaged $157,505.28 for any medication, $252,617.11 for D-penicillamine, $189,328.52 for trientine, and $1574.91 for zinc. Among ever-treated patients with WD, respective costs were lower at $85,117.60, $123,190.73, $100,017.20, and $820.35.

CONCLUSION

Estimated annual HCRU and treatment costs for patients with WD were lower than previously reported. These findings provide updated real-world insights into the economic burden of WD and highlight the cost implications of medication adherence in managing this rare disorder in the USA.