• Arch Iran Med · May 2019

    Intravenous Immunoglobin Utilization Study in a Teaching Hospital.

    • Nader Rezaie, Elham Shajareh, Mohammad Reza Motamed, Behrooz Ghanbari, Nashmin Pakdaman, and Maryam Farasatinasab.
    • Department of Pulmonology, Firoozgar Clinical Research Development Center (FCRDC), Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
    • Arch Iran Med. 2019 May 1; 22 (5): 232-235.

    BackgroundIntravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) is an immunomodulating agent that has several actions. The aim of this study was to investigate the indications of IVIG according to available evidence and the cost in our center.MethodsThis retrospective study was conducted between September 2017 and June 2018 at a teaching hospital affiliated with Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. Patients' demographic data and disease, indication for IVIG use, its dosage and treatment regimen and previous and concurrent treatments were assessed. The collected data were compared with the present criteria for the pattern of IVIG usage. The last version of Lexicomp® was used as the reference for indications of the administrated drug and its dosage.ResultsA total of 119 patients received IVIG during the study period. The wards with the most frequent IVIG prescription were the neurology (46.2%) and neonatal intensive care unit (21%). The most common reasons of IVIG therapy were various inflammatory neurological disorders. IVIG was used in 22, 43 and 54 cases according to on-label, off- label and other indications, respectively. The total price was higher for off-label indications for IVIG ($254343.75) than on-label indications ($152625). As well, $107250 was exhausted for cases in which there was not sufficient evidence.ConclusionOne important aspects of this study was the use of IVIG in cases other than on-label indications. Although a number of studies support IVIG therapy in some diseases, further trials are needed to establish efficacy and safety in these fields.© 2019 The Author(s). This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

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