BioCentury
ARTICLE | Clinical News

Singulair montelukast: Post-marketing study data

August 31, 2009 7:00 AM UTC

Data from a U.S., observational, comparative effectiveness study of integrated medical claims, pharmacy claims and eligibility files of 56,168 asthmatics showed that patients had better overall results with oral leukotriene modifiers than with inhaled corticosteroids in real-world settings because of better compliance. Specifically, oral leukotriene modifiers were associated with lower odds of inpatient/emergency department visits (p<0.001), lower odds of using >=6 canisters of short-acting beta agonists (SABA; p<0.001) and higher annual cost (p<0.001) compared to inhaled corticosteroids. In a subgroup analysis of 9,014 patients who adhered to their medication (defined as patients who were in possession of their medication for>=80% of the year), leukotriene modifiers were associated with higher odds of inpatient/emergency department visits (p=0.04), lower odds of using >=6 canisters of SABAs (p<0.001) and higher annual cost (p<0.001) compared to inhaled corticosteroids. ...