(349) AUVI-Q (epinephrine, USP) vs. other epinephrine auto-injector prescription was associated with reduced inpatient hospitalizations for anaphylaxis in a US retrospective commercial claims analysis

Background: : Anaphylaxis is a life-threatening systemic allergic reaction, the first-line treatment for which is epinephrine. AUVI-Q (epinephrine injection, USP) is an epinephrine auto-injector (EAI) designed with audible and visible cues, a compact size, and an auto-retractable needle. While the clinical utility of epinephrine is well-established, few studies have explored the impact of epinephrine prescription on healthcare resources.

Objective: : To compare anaphylaxis hospitalization rates among US patients prescribed AUVI-Q versus Other EAIs.

Methods: : This US retrospective commercial claims analysis was performed in the Optum Research Database. Between January and December 2023, eligible patients were identified as those with at least one EAI claim, while anaphylaxis events were defined as medical claims with anaphylaxis-specific diagnostic codes, employing the previously validated Harduar-Morano algorithm. Prior prescription of EAIs was identified during a 1-year look-back period before the anaphylaxis event. Anaphylaxis-related hospitalizations were defined as inpatient admissions occurring within 90 days of an anaphylaxis event, excluding cases involving sepsis or immunocompromise.

Results: : The final cohort consisted of 10,130 AUVI-Q and 52,094 Other EAI patients. Patients prescribed AUVI-Q were younger (mean 18.93 vs. 28.48 years) and a larger proportion were male (51.97% vs. 45.73%) compared to the Other EAI patients.

There were 2,609 anaphylaxis events among AUVI-Q patients vs. 7,354 Other EAI patients. Among them, inpatient hospitalizations related to anaphylaxis occurred for 4 AUVI-Q and 27 Other EAI patients. The rate of inpatient hospitalizations per patient was 0.00039 for AUVI-Q and 0.00052 for Other EAIs, with a 23.81% relative rate reduction for the AUVI-Q cohort. The rate of inpatient hospitalizations per anaphylaxis event was 0.00153 for AUVI-Q and 0.00367 for Other EAIs, with a 58.24% relative rate reduction for the AUVI-Q cohort. The EAI utilization rate per patient was 1.316 for AUVI-Q vs. 1.256 for Other EAIs, with a 1.047 utilization rate ratio.

Conclusions: : Inpatient hospitalizations for anaphylaxis were lower among patients prescribed AUVI-Q vs. Other EAIs in this cohort of US patients in a commercial claims database.

Sponsorship:: kaleo, Inc.