2017 was a busy and exciting year for the real-world evidence (RWE) team at Quantify. We have published more than ten scientific articles and presented more than a dozen research abstracts and posters at scientific conferences.

The Nordic Osteoporosis Research Database

Much of the work involved analysis of the Nordic Osteoporosis Research Database (NORD). Quantify created this database in collaboration with three Swedish osteoporosis clinics. NORD is a compilation of Swedish national health register data on patients at elevated risk of osteoporotic fractures. It contains data from more than 2 million patients with fractures, including 400.000 patients with prescriptions for osteoporosis drugs and 55.000 patients with bone density measurements. The data spans a period of over fifteen years.

The research that Quantify led on NORD was presented at conferences such as ESCEO, EULAR, FFN and ISPOR. Several manuscripts based on the data are currently being drafted and we are exploring new avenues for further research for the coming year.

Cross-border collaborations

In the field of asthma, Quantify initiated a cross-border collaboration in the Nordics, aiming to pool data from Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Norway. Such efforts require extensive knowledge and expertise in the legal processes in order to access and safeguard patient-level register data in the Nordics. Quantify will present the first research results from this initiative at the International European Respiratory Society Congress in Paris in September.

Other RWE highlights for the year include projects, research and published articles in autoimmune and inflammatory disease, HIV, low back pain and spine surgery, cardiovascular disease and rare diseases such as autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease.

Conferences & awards

Quantify had a strong presence at scientific conferences during the year, culminating in ISPOR in Glasgow. The poster “Risk of Major Osteoporotic Fracture (Hip, Vertebral, Radius, Humerus [MOF]) After First, Second and Third Fragility Fracture In A Swedish General Population Cohort”, first-authored by Quantify’s Emma Jonsson and based on NORD data, was awarded ISPOR’s Research Presentation Podium and Poster Award in the category Best Poster – General. See also our article on tips for designing an award-winning poster.

Emma Jonsson was also awarded the 2017 ESCEO-IOF Young Investigator Award for the abstract titled “Cost-effectiveness of complying with treatment guidelines in Sweden”. The abstract was presented at the WCO-IOF-ESCEO conference in Florence in March 2017. Furthermore, Quantify teams  presented research at conferences such as EULAR, FFN, EUROSPINE, and ERS.

2017 has been a great year for Quantify. We hope that our efforts will pave the way for an even greater year to come.