Download Full Report (Word 252KB)

Patient demographics
The mean age of patients initiating PAH therapy has increased slowly over the past decade
from 53.2 to 64.1 years (Figure 9). The mean age of prevalent patients has increased from
53.2 to 61.1 years. Figure 9 shows the mean age of incident and prevalent patients by
financial year.
70
60
50
40
prevalent patients
30
initiating patients
20
10
0
Figure 9: Mean age (years) of incident and prevalent patients by financial year.
Source: DHS Authority approval and Supplied prescription databases. Age is calculated at first prescription in
the period.
Note: The first PAH medicine was listed on 1/3/2004 so 2003/04 only contains 4 months of data.
The mean age of patients in the bosentan arms of the key clinical trial (AC-052-3527) was
48.8 years (N = 146, median not reported). This is 15.3 years younger than the mean age of
patients initiating PBS PAH therapy in 2013/14. The Bosentan Patient Registry 8 also found
that the treated population was generally older than the clinical trial population.
The decrease in mean age of patients receiving their first PBS subsidised PAH medicines in
2008/09 is probably due to the listing of bosentan for pulmonary arterial hypertension
associated with a congenital systemic-to-pulmonary shunt (including Eisenmenger's
physiology).
7
Gordon M. MEDICAL REVIEW OF EFFICACY. NDA#21,290. June 29, 2001.
<http://www.fda.gov/ohrms/dockets/ac/01/briefing/3775b2_04_efficacy.htm>
8 Keogh A, Strange G, McNeil K, Williams TJ, Gabbay E, Proudman S, et al. The Bosentan Patient Registry: long-term
survival in pulmonary arterial hypertension. Internal Medicine Journal 2011 Mar;41(3):227-34.
Public Release Document, February 2015 DUSC Meeting
Page 22 of 44