Mitigation strategies may save up to 17% annually in parenteral anticancer drug costs, according to a study published in the Journal of Oncology Practice (published online June 12, 2017; doi:10.1200/JOP.2017.022905).
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The annual costs of cancer care drugs in the United States is estimated at $74 billion and is expected to continue to rise as a result of novel drug development. Cost-effectiveness studies are generally designed with the assumption that purchased drugs are used in their entirety by the patients. However, drug waste occurs more often than not when the entire volume of a parenteral drug is not administered.
A group of Canadian researchers conducted a cross-sectional study to investigate the extent of drug wastage, the financial impact on a hospital budget, and the cost savings associated with current mitigation strategies. Researchers used data from three University of Toronto-affiliated hospitals to calculate hypothetical drug wastage over a 2-week period with and without mitigation strategies in June 2015. Prescription doses, available vial sizes, and the actual amount of drug wasted were considered.
Single-dose vial cancer drugs with the highest wastage potentials were identified, including azacitidine, bendamustine, bevacizumab, bortezomib, cabazitaxel, pegylated liposomal doxorubicin, eribulin, ipilimumab, trastuzumab emtansine, nab-paclitaxel, oxaliplatin, panitumumab, and rituximab.
Researchers found that the hypothetical full wastage was 16% to 18% of the cost of a drug ($69,284 to $149,131 Canadian dollars). The calculated wastage with current mitigation strategies was 0.8% to 1.8% of the drug cost ($928 to $5472).
Additionally, researchers estimate that the annual full wastage cost for any of the three hospitals was up to $22.5 million. Estimated annual savings with mitigation strategies could range from 15% to 17%.
“The findings generated from this study will serve as pilot data to guide future projects to examine the full impact of drug wastage and the ability of available mitigation strategies to limit the financial burden,” the authors wrote.—Zachary Bessette
