CHARLOTTE, N.C.—Many major insurance companies do not adhere to the most recent recommendations on inflammatory bowel disease treatment from the American College of Gastroenterology and the American Gastroenterological Association, according to an analysis of insurance company policies.
The study, conducted by researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, in Boston, analyzed publicly available insurance policy data from the top 50 U.S. insurance companies, which represent 80% of the market. The investigators compared policy data for adalimumab (Humira, AbbVie), infliximab (Remicade, Janssen), tofacitinib (Xeljanz, Pfizer), ustekinumab (Stelara, Janssen), and vedolizumab (Entyvio, Takeda) with the latest ACG and AGA guidelines on ulcerative colitis (Am J Gastroenterol 2019;114[3]:384-413; Gastroenterology 2020;158[5]:1450-1461) and Crohn’s disease (Am J Gastroenterol 2018;113[4]:481-517; Gastroenterology 2021;160[7]:2496-2580).