Antiviral use is associated with a decrease in the rate of influenza-related complications, health care resource utilization, and costs

Abstract

Aims: To determine the effect of antiviral agents on influenza-related complications, health care resource utilization (HRU), and costs over three influenza seasons (2014–2016). Methods: This retrospective cohort study used claims data from the U.S. MarketScan Research Databases. Patients with a diagnosis code for influenza during the 2014–2016 seasons in an outpatient setting, with continuous enrollment from 1 year before to 91 d after diagnosis, were included. Patients who received an antiviral within 48 h of diagnosis were identified and propensity score–matched to a comparator cohort of untreated patients on baseline demographics, comorbid conditions, and HRU. Outcomes were assessed at days 30 and 90 after diagnosis and included respiratory-related complications (all respiratory-related and selected respiratory-related conditions [influenza, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or infection]), HRU, and costs. Results: Treated and matched untreated cohorts each consisted of 362,818 patients. HRU was significantly lower in the treated cohort compared with the untreated cohort at 30 and 90 d after diagnosis, respectively (hospitalizations: 0.6% vs. 0.8% and 1.2% vs. 1.6%; emergency department [ED] visits: 4.1% vs. 4.9% and 7.9% vs. 9.2%; intensive care unit/critical care unit (ICU/CCU) admissions: 0.2% vs. 0.4% and 0.4% vs. 0.6%). Respiratory-related HRU was lower in the treated cohort at both 30 and 90 d after diagnosis (p