PurposeThe aim was to evaluate the measurement properties of the Growth Hormone Deficiency-Child Treatment Burden Measure-Child (GHD-CTB-Child), a patient-reported outcome (PRO) for children aged 9 to < 13 years; the Growth Hormone Deficiency-Child Treatment Burden Measure-Observer (GHD-CTB-Observer), an observer-reported outcome (ObsRO) version completed by parents/guardians of children with growth hormone deficiency (GHD) aged 4 to < 9 years; and the Growth Hormone Deficiency-Parent Treatment Burden Measure (GHD-PTB), a PRO that assesses the treatment burden of parents/guardians living with children with GHD aged 4 to < 13 years. Methods A non-interventional, multi-center, clinic-based study across 30 private practice and large institutional sites in the United States and the United Kingdom was conducted. The sample consisted of 145 pre-pubertal children aged 9 to < 13 years at enrollment with a physician confirmed GHD diagnosis as well as 98 parents/guardians of pre-pubertal younger children aged 4 to < 9 years at enrollment with a physician confirmed GHD diagnosis. The child sample consisted of 59 treatment-naïve children (no prior exposure to growth hormone [GH] therapy; were starting GH treatment at study start per standard of care) and 184 children already maintained on treatment for at least 6 months. At baseline, all study participants completed a paper validation battery including all measures needed to conduct the validation analyses. Follow-up assessments with children in the maintenance group and their caregiver/parent were conducted approximately 2 weeks post-baseline to evaluate test-retest reproducibility. To evaluate sensitivity to change and meaningful change thresholds, treatment-naïve participants in both child and parent/guardian populations were assessed within 1 week of report of minimal improvement between week 3 and week 11 and at week 12. Psychometric analyses were implemented following an a priori statistical analysis plan. Results Factor analyses confirmed the a priori conceptual domains and Overall score for each measure (GHD-CTB-Child and GHD-CTB-Observer domains: Physical, Emotional Well-being, and Interference; GHD-PTB domains: Emotional Wellbeing and Interference). Internal consistency was acceptable for all measures (Cronbach's alpha > 0.70). Test-retest reliability was acceptable for the Physical, Emotional, and Overall domains of the GHD-CTB versions, and the Emotional and Overall domains of the GHD-PTB (intraclass correlation coefficient above 0.70). All but one of the convergent validity hypotheses for the GHD-CTB versions and all hypotheses for the GHD-PTB were proven (r > 0.40). Known-groups validity hypotheses were significant for length of time to administer the injections in the GHD-CTB versions (p < 0.001 for Physical, Emotional, and Overall, and p < 0.01 for Interference) and whether parents/guardians versus child gave the injections more often for the Emotional domain of the GHD-PTB (p < 0.05). Associated effect sizes ranged from −0.27 to −0.57 for GHD-CTB versions an...

Background Carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (CPE), bacteria which are resistant to the carbapenem class of antibiotics, present an urgent public health risk. The objective of this study was to assess the potential costs and consequences of implementing a testing strategy involving a polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based diagnostic test for CPE amongst high risk patients upon admission to UK hospitals, to replace the current culture-based testing strategy. Methods A decision-analytic model was developed to estimate the expected medical care costs associated with a PCR testing strategy for CPE compared with the current culture testing strategy, and to consider the consequences, in terms of the diagnostic accuracy and associated cost implications, of each approach. The modelled population were patients admitted to hospital at high risk of colonisation with CPE, with model pathways for current practice based on those described in the Public Health England (PHE) toolkit for CPE testing. Costs were estimated from a UK National Health Service (NHS) perspective, with outcomes presented in terms of percentage of samples identified as true positive, false positive, true negative and false negative following each method of testing. Results Results indicated that the PCR testing strategy led to an estimated cost saving of £462 per patient for a 5-day hospital stay. For all sensitivity analyses conducted, PCR testing resulted in an expected cost saving. Potential cost savings approached £850 per patient for the sensitivity analysis assuming a 15-day hospital stay, indicating that PCR testing results in greater cost savings as length of stay increases. Fewer false positive, and more true negative, cases were identified with the PCR testing strategy in all analyses conducted. Conclusions This economic analysis gives an insight into the potential cost savings that could be made by the UK NHS through the introduction of a PCR-based diagnostic testing strategy to replace current recommended culture-based methods for the detection of CPE. Savings are due primarily to a faster time to result with PCR, meaning that CPE-free patients are not isolated unnecessarily. Therefore, a PCR-based diagnostic may aid appropriate use of isolation resource.

Somapacitan is a long-acting, reversible albumin-binding growth hormone (GH) derivative being developed for once-weekly dosing in adults and children with GH deficiency (GHD). The efficacy, safety and tolerability of somapacitan were compared with daily GH in children with GHD in a multicenter, randomized, controlled, double-blinded to dose, phase 2 trial (REAL 3, NCT02616562). Treatment-naïve, prepubertal children with GHD were randomized 1:1:1:1 to once-weekly sc somapacitan (0.04, 0.08 or 0.16 mg/kg/week [wk]) or daily sc GH (Norditropin®; 0.034 mg/kg/day) during the 26-wk main trial period and 26-wk extension. Efficacy of the 0.16 mg/kg/wk dose was similar to that of daily GH, judged by height standard deviation scores (SDS) and insulin-like growth factor-I SDS, and, at wk 52, height velocity was statistically significantly greater with somapacitan 0.16 mg/kg/wk vs daily GH. Safety and tolerability of somapacitan were consistent with the profile of daily GH. Here, we report the results of a pre-planned analysis of patient-reported outcomes (PROs) collected during REAL 3. This is, to our knowledge, the first report of a disease-specific PRO score from a randomized trial in GHD. PROs were investigated using the Growth Hormone Deficiency - Child Impact Measure observer-report (GHD-CIM ObsRO). This is a new, validated questionnaire, developed according to US FDA guidance, to assess the impact of GHD on physical functioning, and social and emotional wellbeing in children aged 4 to &lt;13 years, to be completed by caregivers. Minimal important differences (MID) in scores were determined based on Patient and Clinician Global Impression of Severity. Changes from baseline to wk 52 in GHD-CIM ObsRO scores were compared between daily GH and each dose of somapacitan, and were analyzed using an analysis of covariance model. A total of 59 patients were randomized (somapacitan n=45; daily GH n=14); the full analysis set included 57 children (somapacitan: 0.04 mg/kg/wk n=14; 0.08 mg/kg/wk n=15; 0.16 mg/kg/wk n=14; daily GH n=14). Mean age was 5.9 years; 60% were male; 11 children were &lt;4 years old at baseline. For the change from baseline in GHD-CIM ObsRO score, the estimated treatment differences (ETDs) between somapacitan 0.16 mg/kg/wk and daily GH at wk 52 exceeded the MID in favor of somapacitan for the emotional wellbeing (ETD -9.34; MID 7) and social wellbeing domains (ETD -10.12; MID 5), as well as total score (ETD -7.43; MID 5). The somapacitan 0.16 mg/kg/wk group showed a numerical improvement over daily GH across all GHD-CIM ObsRO domains and total score, although none of the ETDs reached statistical significance. At 52 wks, the difference in GHD-CIM ObsRO scores between somapacitan 0.16 mg/kg/wk and daily GH exceeded the MID for the total score, and for the emotional and social wellbeing domains, suggesting clinically relevant improvement for these parameters in favor of somapacitan in children with GHD.

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