Impact of Baricitinib on Work Productivity and Indirect Costs in Adult Patients with Atopic Dermatitis: A Meta-Analysis of Clinical Trials

The meta-analysis of five clinical trials, involving 1,629 patients treated with baricitinib and 842 placebo-controlled patients, assessed the impact of baricitinib on work productivity loss (WPL) and indirect costs in adult patients with atopic dermatitis (AD). The study found that the change in WPL from baseline to week 16 was not statistically significant for patients treated with 1mg of baricitinib. However, significant improvements in WPL were observed in patients treated with 2mg (-6.63 [95%CI -11.00, -2.26]; p=0.003) and 4mg (-8.19 [95%CI -12.89, -3.48]; p=0.0006) of baricitinib. This translated into estimated indirect cost savings over 16 weeks of $1,135.06 per patient treated with 2mg of baricitinib and $1,402.13 per patient treated with 4mg of baricitinib, due to reductions in AD-related WPL. The study concludes that AD patients treated with 2mg or 4mg of baricitinib experienced significant improvements in WPL, potentially resulting in substantial indirect cost savings for employers. Further research is needed to assess this effect over a longer term.