Economic burden of refractory chronic spontaneous urticaria on Kuwait’s health system

BACKGROUND: Chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) is a common problem worldwide. We evaluated the direct medical costs of treating patients with refractory CSU and the budget effect of omalizumab use in these patients in Kuwait. METHODS: The prevalence of CSU was estimated using the Delphi method. Medical records of patients with refractory CSU in Kuwait were reviewed. Costs were calculated from a health system perspective. One-way sensitivity analyses were conducted on the price and utilization of each cost component. RESULTS: Before omalizumab use, the total direct costs of treating 1,293 patients with refractory CSU were estimated to be USD 3,650,733 per year. This estimation was principally generated by outpatient visits. After omalizumab use, the cost was sensitive to price variation and estimated to be USD 15,828,612 per year. All other direct costs were reduced. CONCLUSION: The economic burden of refractory CSU in Kuwait is high. Omalizumab use is costly, but its administration reduces all other direct costs.