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Kidney Week

Abstract: SA-PO1050

Real-World Evidence of First Year Outcomes, Health Care Utilization, and Costs Among Kidney Transplant Recipients in the United States (USA), 2017-2023

Session Information

Category: Transplantation

  • 2102 Transplantation: Clinical

Authors

  • Bastian, Alexander W., Memo Therapeutics, Schleiren, Zurich, Switzerland
  • Beck, Juergen, Memo Therapeutics, Schleiren, Zurich, Switzerland
  • van den Berg, Erik J., Memo Therapeutics, Schleiren, Zurich, Switzerland
  • Doshi, Riddhi, IQVIA Inc, Durham, North Carolina, United States
  • Gupta, Sidharth, IQVIA Inc, Durham, North Carolina, United States
  • Kuharic, Maja, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, United States
Background

Following kidney transplantation, patients require lifelong monitoring and management, including regular follow-ups, adherence to medication regimens, and lifestyle modifications to support overall health. Little is know about these outcomes in contemporary kidney transplantation from large administrative datasets. This study aims to analyze the IQVIA open claims dataset to characterize immunosuppression patterns, quantify clinical events, and assess healthcare utilization and costs among these patients in the USA

Methods

Patients were included if they: underwent kidney transplantation between January 2017 and June 2022; were ≥18 years old; had at least one immunosuppressant prescription in the first post-transplant year; and maintained continuous insurance enrollment. Demographic and clinical characteristics were assessed during the pre-transplant period. Post-transplant assessments analyzed time-to-event outcomes, and healthcare utilization by visit type and associated costs

Results

Over 35,093 patients met the criteria for inclusion in this study. The average age was 53 (18-85 min-max), with 60.1% males, equally distributed across the USA with slightly higher proportion of patients in the South region (38.6%). Switching of immunosuppression regimens was extremely common, with 92.7% of patients changing medications throughout the first year. 24.1% of patients experienced delayed graft function, 13.9% acute rejection, 4.4% returned to dialysis, and 1.4% graft failure/loss during the first year post-transplant. Healthcare utilization was substantial, with patients averaging 29 outpatient- ($56,444) and 26 inpatient-visits ($275,690). Patients required an additional 26 visits for additional health services, incurring $23,790 in additional costs

Conclusion

Following kidney transplantation, patients undergo numerous care interactions, many immunosuppression changes, and have a high healthcare resource use. Significant adverse outcomes, including acute rejection occur even in the these first 12 months

Funding

  • Commercial Support – Memo Therapeutics

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)