NHIA’s Clinical Program Manager Michelle Simpson, PharmD, BCSCP, MWC presented research conducted by the National Home Infusion Foundation (NHIF) at ID Week, the meeting of the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) held October 19-23 in Washington, D.C. The poster “Rate of Infusion Reactions Among Patients Receiving Casirivimab/Imdevimab in the Home Setting” was one of more than 1,600 research abstracts accepted and on display.
The study examines patient outcomes collected by home infusion companies who participated in administration of the monoclonal antibody for prevention and treatment of COVID-19 in 2021. Biologic medications are labeled with a warning for adverse drug reactions (ADRs), which can be assessed and treated, but have in the past caused many prescribers to prefer they be administered in a facility-based site of care, such as a hospital or clinic. Because the initial outbreak of COVID-19 precluded most, non-urgent facility-based care, the opportunity arose to study administration of an instrumental biologic therapy in alternate sites of care, including the home.
Data from home administration of casirivimab/imdevimab, including ADR rate, hospitalization, and death, were compared to data from 2 previous studies and showed a consistently low rate of hospitalization. In addition, patients who received infusions of casirivimab/imdevimab in the home setting had a lower rate of ADR than reported during clinical trials.
“I was honored to share NHIF’s findings with the infectious disease community, since these are the physicians who often prescribe infused biologic therapies, including monoclonal antibodies,” said Simpson. “Our results may help change some paradigms by demonstrating that the home can be a safe setting for drug administration with the proper protocols in place.”
Support NHIF and Infuse Wellness this October into your life and others. There are many ways to participate—get together with your colleagues and form a team to compete against the NHIA staff and other members.
As part of a strategic focus on promoting health equity, The National Home Infusion Foundation (NHIF) recently adopted standardized categories for race and ethnicity data collection and is encouraging all providers to include voluntary questions to capture this data. NHIF will utilize this data throughout its projects to evaluate equitable access to infusion treatments in alternate sites.
NHIF has adopted the Office of Management and Budget and Health and Human Services standard categories for race and ethnicity and urges all providers to include voluntary questions in their admissions process to capture this data.
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