Alkermes Presented New Data Analysis on Healthcare Resource Use Among Veterans With Alcohol Dependence

– Retrospective Study of Veterans Health Administration Data Showed an Association Between VIVITROL Treatment and Reduced Emergency Department Visits and Inpatient Hospital Stays –

DUBLIN, June 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Alkermes plc (Nasdaq: ALKS) today announced the presentation of new health economics and outcomes research related to healthcare resource use (HRU) among veterans with alcohol dependence at the 2021 Research Society on Alcoholism (RSA) Scientific Meeting/International Society for Biomedical Research on Alcoholism (ISBRA) Conference, which took place virtually June 19-23, 2021.

The company presented results from a retrospective, observational study using data from the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) database, which includes healthcare encounters, treatments and laboratory tests at VHA facilities. The study assessed treatment patterns and HRU among 3,665 patients diagnosed with alcohol dependence who were treated with VIVITROL (naltrexone for extended-release injectable suspension (XR-NTX)).

In the study, VIVITROL treatment for alcohol dependence was associated with decreases in inpatient care and increases in outpatient care during the one-year period following initiation of treatment with VIVITROL, compared to the one-year period before VIVITROL treatment initiation. Specifically:

• During the baseline period, defined as the one year before VIVITROL initiation, 61.5 percent of patients had at least one inpatient admission, and 39.8 percent of patients had an emergency department visit.
• During the follow up period, defined as one year after VIVITROL initiation, 37.8 percent of patients had at least one inpatient admission and 35.4 percent of patients had an emergency department visit.

These HRU changes may reflect a possible transition to less resource-intensive care for veterans initiating VIVITROL. The generalizability of these results to the U.S. population may be limited.

"Alkermes is committed to advancing research on substance use disorders and veterans represent an important demographic given the pervasiveness of alcohol dependence and the broad unmet medical need within the veteran community," said Amy O'Sullivan, Vice President, Health Economics & Outcomes Research. "Though more research is needed, the VHA dataset provides insight into how the use of VIVITROL may impact engagement in treatment, healthcare resource utilization, and health outcomes in this patient population."