Costs and Complications Associated with Tubal Ligation

Madrid—A database analysis of women <50 years of age who received a tubal ligation and had continuous insurance coverage for 1 year after the procedure found that a substantial number of patients experienced complications, which were associated with high costs. The results were presented at the ISPOR European Congress in a poster titled Complications and Costs Associated with Tubal Ligations.



First-Year Cost of Administering and Monitoring Therapies for Multiple Sclerosis

Madrid—According to an interactive tool developed to estimate the first-year cost of administering and monitoring multiple sclerosis (MS) therapies, glatiramer acetate was the cheapest treatment option, followed by interferon beta-1a intramuscular injection, interferon beta-1a subcutaneous injection, interferon beta-1b subcutaneous injection, fingolimod, and natalizumab.

The results were presented at the ISPOR European Congress in a poster titled Estimated Costs of First-Year Monitoring and Administration of Multiple Sclerosis Therapies in the United States.



Rasagiline Effective in Lowering Adverse Events

Prague—In a meta-analysis of clinical trials evaluating the safety profiles of monotherapeutic treatments, researchers found that patients with early Parkinson’s disease (PD) who were treated with rasagiline had a lower risk for adverse events (AEs) and lower dropout rates (DRs) than those treated with pramipexole or ropinirole. The results were presented at the ISPOR European Congress during a poster session titled Indirect Comparison of Adverse Events for Early Parkinson’s Disease (PD) Monotherapy Trials: Pramipexole, Ropinirole and Rasagiline.



Parkinson’s Disease Patients Suffer During Off-Time

Prague—A sample of adults ≥30 years of age in the United States with self-reported, doctor-confirmed Parkinson’s disease (PD) found that patients experiencing off-time had worse overall physical and mental well-being than patients who were stable. The researchers defined on-time as when medications minimize PD symptoms and off-time as when the PD symptoms return. The results were presented at the ISPOR European Congress during a poster session titled Health Status Comparison Between Stable Parkinson’s Disease Patients and Those Experiencing “Off-Time.”



Outcomes Compared for Patients with Alzheimer’s and Non-Alzheimer’s Dementia

Atlanta—A review of records from the National Alzheimer Coordinating Center’s Uniform Data Set (NACC-UDS) found that patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) transition more quickly to states of more severe dementia as measured by the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) than patients with non-AD dementia. Patients with non-AD dementia, however, were more likely to be institutionalized or die.

The NACC-UDS is a large, longitudinal dataset funded by the National Institute of Aging that includes AD and non-AD dementia patients, and