OBJECTIVES: The available data on the real-world health care burden of MG in Hungary is very limited. The objective of this research is to identify and describe the size and demographic distribution of the Hungarian MG population, as well as health care resource use (HRU), direct health care costs, and the overall cost of the associated health services.

METHODS: This research consisted of a non-interventional, retrospective analysis of the anonymized health insurance claims database from the Hungarian National Health Insurance Fund (NHIFA), which covers the full 10M population. The research period was from 2017 to 2022. Patients were identified through the use of defined drug therapies and relevant ICD-10 codes (G70), with a focus on outpatient and hospital events. The patient inclusion criteria were developed and validated by a local medical expert.

RESULTS: During the whole research period, 1680 patients were identified with MG. Pyridostigmine is the main therapeutic intervention, with a compliance rate of 65%. In the case of 279 MG patients, steroid therapy was indicated if the efficacy of pyridostigmine was insufficient, which indicated that their MG was more severe. Many patients are diagnosed as outpatients: 1642/1680 and 208/279 in the steroid subgroup respectively. The average total annual cost was €604932 at MG in Hungary. The average cost per patient was €486, in comparison to the steroid groups, which costs €295.

CONCLUSIONS: The present research was designed to address a gap in the current understanding of the direct cost implications of the GM market in Hungary. The analysis can serve as an important starting point for the planning of the therapeutic area, as the introduction of new types of pharmaceutical products will result in a paradigm shift not only in terms of therapeutic efficacy but also in terms of the financial resources required.