LETTER
The Cost of Treating Common Variable Immunodeficiency
Neil L. Kao and
G. Wendell Richmond
15 October 1993 | Volume 119 Issue 8 | Page 862
TO THE EDITOR:
We read with enthusiasm the article by Sneller and colleagues [1]. One important aspect of treatment with intravenous immunoglobulin that deserves comment is its cost. The annual retail costs of administering intravenous immunoglobulin at a dose of 400 mg/kg body weight for a 70-kg adult would be $25 020 to $45 180 [2]. This expense is already an issue in the care of these patients; in our experience, some insurance carriers have resisted paying for this treatment. It would be unfortunate for patients with common variable immunodeficiency in this era of health care reform and cost containment if the expense of intravenous immunoglobulin precludes third-party payer approval of a treatment that is remarkably effective.
1. Sneller MC, moderator. New insights into common variable immunodeficiency. Ann Intern Med. 1993; 118:720-30.
2. Buckley RH, Schiff RI. The use of intravenous immune globulin in immunodeficiency diseases. N Engl J Med. 1991; 325:110-7.
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