Abstract Background Few studies have assessed the distribution and temporal trends of healthcare expenditures related to inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). We analysed expenditure trends for IBD patients in Catalonia from 2011 to 2024, identified key cost drivers, and forecasted future costs through 2034. Methods All patients included in the Catalan Health Surveillance System (CHSS) with a diagnostic of IBD and with 1≤prescription of an IBD-specific medication registered were eligible. The CHSS compiles prospective data from public healthcare coverage of 8 million inhabitants in 2024 (41,442 with IBD). Healthcare utilization data were analysed, and expenditures were calculated using standard costs defined by the Catalan Department of Health. Costs were estimated for the overall IBD population and separately for Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC). Autoregressive integrated moving average was used to forecast total costs up to 2034. Results Total IBD-related healthcare expenditure tripled from €67.4M in 2011 to €201.6M in 2024, while per-patient costs rose from €3,981 to €4,753. Biologic therapies were the main cost driver, especially in CD. Mean per-patient biologic costs decreased by 16.6% in CD but increased by 44.5% in UC. CD patients consistently incurred higher per-capita costs. Forecasts indicate continued growth in total expenditure, reaching €298.7M by 2034. Conclusion Both overall and per-patient IBD-related healthcare expenditures in Catalonia markedly increased from 2011 to 2024 driven mainly by pharmacological costs (even with the predominant use of biosimilars. These findings may be of help for designing future healthcare policies. Conflict of interest: Dr. Brunet, Eduard: has served as a speaker and consultant for Janssen and Chiesi, Kern, Takeda, Lilly and Alfasigma. Garcia Sague, Belen: I have served as a speaker and consultant for Janssen and Chiesi, Kern, Takeda and Alfasigma. Vela, Emili: No conflict of interest Pontes, Caridad: No conflict of interest Melcarne, Luigi: has served as a speaker and consultant from for MSD, Abbvie, Janssen, Takeda, Pfizer and Tillots Frisancho, Luis: No conflict of interest Llovet, Laura: No conflict of interest Pedragal-Pascual, Patricia: No conflict of interest Puy Guillen, Anna: No conflict of interest Lario, Sergio: No conflict of interest Ramírez-Lázaro, Maria José: No conflict of interest Villoria Ferrer, Alberto: has served as a speaker and consultant from for MSD and Abbvie. Luigi Melcarne has served as a speaker and consultant from for MSD, Abbvie, Janssen, Takeda, Pfizer and Tillots Coward, Stephanie: received consultant fees from Sanofi Kaplan, Gilaad: Grant: Dr. Kaplan received grants for research from Ferring and for educational activities from AbbVie, Bristol Myers Squibb, Ferring, Fresenius-Kabi, Janssen, Pfizer, Takeda. Personal Fees: Dr. Kaplan has received honoraria for speaking or consultancy from AbbVie, Amgen, Janssen, Pfizer, and Takeda. Calvet Calvo, Xavier: No conflict of interest
Brunet et al. (Thu,) studied this question.