title: Costs of pregabalin or gabapentin for painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To characterize and compare healthcare resource utilization and costs among patients with painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy (pDPN) newly prescribed pregabalin or gabapentin in a real-world clinical setting.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective cohort analysis using the MarketScan Commercial Claims and Encounters and Medicare Supplemental Databases (2007-2009).
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients with new prescriptions for pregabalin or gabapentin (index event) in 2008 and ≥1 healthcare encounter with an ICD-9 code for pDPN (250.6 or 357.2) within 30 days prior to the first prescription were identified and propensity score matched; continuous enrollment 12 months pre- and post-index was required. Pre- to post-index changes in 12-month all-cause and pDPN-attributable resource utilization and costs were compared between pregabalin and gabapentin using a difference-in-difference (DID) approach.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 910 pregabalin patients (48.6% female; mean age 63.3 ± 12.1 years) were matched with 910 gabapentin patients (48.8% female; mean age 63.3 ± 12.1 years). The DID showed no significant differences between cohorts for pre- to post-index changes in any of the all-cause resource utilization categories. While prescription costs increased significantly more with pregabalin (DID -$563; p < 0.0001), the DID of $1603 for total healthcare costs per patient indicated that the pre- to post-index increases of $3081 for pregabalin and $4684 for gabapentin patients were comparable (p = 0.8474). Total pDPN-attributable healthcare costs were significantly higher with pregabalin (DID -$385; p < 0.0001), resulting from higher prescription costs (DID -$432; p < 0.0001). Limitations of this study include the inability to specifically link pDPN with medication prescribing; differences between groups despite propensity score matching; use of proxy measures for adherence parameters; and inability to capture efficacy outcomes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Among patients initiating pregabalin or gabapentin, there were no significant differences between the drugs in the pre- to post-index changes in all-cause total healthcare costs, despite the increase in prescription costs for pregabalin.
authors.affiliation: Pfizer, Inc., New York, NY 10017, USA. margarita.udall@pfizer.com
authors.forename: Margarita
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Udall
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Harnett
authors.forename: Jack
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mardekian
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000588:Amines / Q000191:economics* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000700:Analgesics / Q000191:economics* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003509:Cyclohexanecarboxylic Acids / Q000191:economics* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016208:Databases, Factual; D003928:Diabetic Nephropathies / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D000077206:Gabapentin; D006295:Health Resources / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010146:Pain / Q000188:drug therapy*; D000069583:Pregabalin; D011306:Prescription Fees; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014481:United States; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000191:economics / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D000588:Amines; D000700:Analgesics; D003509:Cyclohexanecarboxylic Acids; D000069583:Pregabalin; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid; D000077206:Gabapentin