Characterizing Treatment Patterns and Healthcare Use in Patients and Subgroups with Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyradiculoneuropathy: A Real-World Study.

INTRODUCTION

Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) is a rare autoimmune disorder of the peripheral nervous system. While some patients with CIDP respond to standard-of-care treatments, a significant proportion remains refractory or has partial response. Evidence on the disease burden of this patient group is limited. This retrospective study aimed to analyze the demographics, clinical characteristics, and healthcare resource use of patients with CIDP in the United States, focusing on those who switched therapies within 2 years of initiating first-line treatment (LOT1).

METHODS

Integrated data from the Optum® de-identified Market Clarity dataset were used to identify adults diagnosed with CIDP from 2008-2020.

RESULTS

The CIDP cohort included 1942 treated patients (54% male, 75% aged ≥ 50 years). LOT1 included immunoglobulins (43%), corticosteroids (32%), combination of immunoglobulins and corticosteroids (11%), immunosuppressants (10%), and plasma exchange (5%). Within 2 years, 31% patients switched to second-line treatment (LOT2). The median time to switch from LOT1 to LOT2 was 5.6 months. Within 2 years after initiating LOT1, 92% patients had outpatient visits and 40% were hospitalized. Patients who switched treatments had more healthcare visits than those who did not switch (45.3 vs. 35.3/year).

CONCLUSION

Approximately one-third of the patients switched to a new treatment within 2 years after starting treatment, which could be partly due to limited efficacy of therapies in LOT1. The decrease in treatment duration after LOT1 may suggest limited utility of subsequent therapies. Frequent treatment changes and increased healthcare encounters in this subgroup highlight significant unmet needs in CIDP.