US Cases of Viral Meningitis Result in Over $1 Billion in Medical Costs

At the International Society for Pharmacoeconomic and Outcomes Research (ISPOR) annual meeting last week, T.V. Parasuraman of the Hastings Healthcare Group (Pennington, NJ) presented data from a study conducted to determine the economic impact of viral meningitis in the US from both payer and societal perspectives. The data revealed that the management of viral meningitis in the US results in $1 billion in direct medical costs and an additional $200 million in indirect costs due to lost productivity. The study was conducted in conjunction with the Meningitis Consensus Panel.

The Meningitis Consensus Panel, which included physicians from emergency medicine, pediatrics, neurology, infectious disease, and family practice, developed a decision analytic framework (DAF) to estimate the probability of events associated with the management of viral meningitis in adult and pediatric patients. Direct medical costs were valued using charge data obtained from the 1996 Pennsylvania Medicaid database and average wholesale price of drugs using the Drug Topics Red Book. Indirect medical costs were derived by evaluating activity-restricted days (ARDs) and associated productivity losses.

The results of the study estimate a single case of viral meningitis results in direct medical costs to payers ranging from $4500–$5700 in adult patients and $5000–$5300 in pediatric patients. Additional economic burden of viral meningitis in terms of indirect costs to society includes an average of 5.6 to 7.5 ARDs, with a productivity loss ranging from $680–$910 per episode of disease. It was concluded that current management of viral meningitis represents a sizable economic burden from both the payer and societal perspective.

"The issue with viral meningitis is that there are no available treatments. As a consequence, patients suffer needlessly, and payers are hit with substantial costs for patient management, rather than patient treatment," said Parasuraman. "The availability of an effective treatment is likely to influence the medical management and, in turn, the economic impact of viral meningitis."

Viral meningitis, caused by picornaviruses, is characterized by a severe headache, stiff neck, fever, muscle pain, nausea, vomiting, and malaise. Patients with viral meningitis often require emergency care and hospitalization. In about 25% of viral meningitis patients, the illness continues for more than 2 weeks. There are currently no available treatments.

Hastings Healthcare Group is a healthcare marketing and consulting firm providing disease and health management services, strategy development, market research, and marketing communications to healthcare organizations and manufacturers.

For more information: T.V. Parasuraman, Hastings Healthcare Group, 112 Titus Mill Rd., Pennington, NJ 08534-4399. Tel: 609-730-0100, ext. 182. Email: TV_Parasuraman@HastingsHC.com.