A103 EARLY INITIATION OF ANTI-TNF THERAPY IS COST-SAVING COMPARED TO LATE INITIATION FOR PATIENTS WITH CROHN’S DISEASE

摘要

BackgroundAnti-TNF therapies are effective for the induction and maintenance of remission in patients with Crohn’s disease (CD), and are generally prescribed when patients fail to respond to conventional, less-costly medical therapies including steroids and immunomodulators. Our recent retrospective study showed that early initiation (within two years of diagnosis) of anti-TNF therapies reduced rates of surgery and loss of response requiring dose escalation. However, the cost effectiveness of this strategy is unknown, given the expensive nature of these medications.