Budget impact analysis for albuterol-budesonide fixed-dose combination in the as needed treatment of adult patients with asthma in Kuwait.

Authors

Gihan Hamdy Elsisi, Mohamed Al-Bader, Hanan Al-Razzuqi, Muneera Al-Asfoor, Nawaf Dehrab, Mohamed M Ibrahim, Mona Al-Ahmad

Published in

Journal of medical economics. Volume 29. Issue 1. Pages 2255-2263. Epub Sep 02, 2026.

Abstract

This study assessed the budget impact, from the perspective of the Kuwaiti healthcare payer, of introducing an as-needed fixed-dose combination of albuterol and budesonide (alb/bud-FDC) compared with albuterol alone and ICS-SABA for the management of asthma.
A budget impact analysis (BIA) was conducted to estimate the financial consequences of introducing alb/bud-FDC rescue inhaler compared with albuterol and ICS/SABA over a four-year time horizon. Only direct medical costs were measured, including medications, follow-up investigations, and hospital admissions. Resource utilization data were extracted from the existing literature and subsequently validated. Clinical parameters were derived from clinical trials. The uncertainty inherent in the model was explored through a one-way sensitivity analysis.
The total asthma patient population (n = 15,763) was estimated. Of these, 11,823 patients were identified as having partially controlled or uncontrolled asthma and were deemed eligible for treatment with alb/bud-FDC. The total annual costs (drug and non-drug costs) were estimated to be KWD 14,870,455 ($82 million) before alb/bud-FDC entry (SABA scenario) compared to KWD 14,479,021 ($80 million) post-entry (new scenario), resulting in a total budget savings of KWD 391,434 ($2.1 million) after four years. The total annual costs were estimated to be KWD 9,009,634 ($50 million) before alb/bud-FDC entry (ICS/SABA scenario) compared to KWD 8,717,921 ($48 million) post-entry (new scenario), resulting in a total budget savings of KWD 291,713 ($1.6 million) after four years, primarily driven by reduction in healthcare resource utilization. Sensitivity analysis indicated that the most influential parameters affecting the budget impact were the rates of exacerbation associated with the use of SABA and alb/bud-FDC, and alb/bud-FDC average unit/inhaler per year and costs.
Our findings indicate that replacing albuterol or ICS-SABA with the alb/bud-FDC rescue inhaler across different asthma severity levels improves clinical outcomes while reducing overall healthcare costs through lower expenditures associated with severe asthma exacerbations and maintenance oral corticosteroid (OCS) use. This evaluation is relevant to healthcare decision makers for guiding that alb/bud-FDC is budget-saving for eligible patients, while reducing the burden to patients and improving their control and symptoms. These savings should be interpreted within the context of the overall asthma management budget.

PMID:
42682159
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 02 Sep 2026.

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