Infusion Facility Budget Impact of Different Bendamustine Formulations for CLL and NHL

Findings from a recent study suggest that small-volume, short-duration infusions of bendamustine may result in lower acquisition costs and lower administration labor costs compared to large-volume, long-duration infusions, in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and rituximab-refractory indolent non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) (Clinicoecon Outcomes Res. 2021; 13:201-211. doi:10.2147/CEOR.S297284).

Patients with CLL and indolent NHL can receive bendamustine hydrochloride as a first-line treatment.

“There are two ready-to-dilute formulations of bendamustine hydrochloride on the US market: a large-volume, long-duration infusion and a small-volume, short-duration infusion,” wrote Elizabeth James, Aventine Consulting LLC, Marblehead, MA, USA, and colleagues, adding, “it is estimated that the shorter duration infusion could result in cost savings to infusion facilities.”

The authors aimed to calculate the one-year budget impact between a small-volume, short-duration infusion of bendamustine hydrochloride, and a large-volume, long-duration infusion from the infusion facility perspective.

Change in costs associated with a projected 50% to 100% increase in market share funds for small-volume, short-duration infusions were estimated using an illustrative budget impact model that included patients with CLL and indolent NHL. Authors also conducted one-way sensitivity analyses.

Facility spending on drug acquisition and administration based on recommended dosing for small-volume, short-duration infusions and large-volume, long-duration infusions determined budgetary costs for this study.

Scientific literature and publicly available resources were used to determine assumptions and inputs for the base-case model. Differences in cost per-patient and the total budget impact were calculated annually.

Estimated per-patient savings for those with CLL or indolent NHL who received small-volume, short-duration infusions of bendamustine hydrochloride were $2812.24 and $4769.01, respectively.

After the utilization shift, estimated total annual incremental savings were $452,209 for 250 CLL and indolent NHL patients in a 10,000-patient infusion facility, resulting in savings of $150.74 per bendamustine hydrochloride patient per month, and $1808.84 per patient per year.

“This analysis estimated over $450,000 in annual savings for a 10,000-patient chemotherapy infusion facility following a utilization shift from 50% use of each RTD [ready-to-dilute] product to 100% use of BND-S [small-volume, short-duration bendamustine] in CLL and [indolent] NHL patients, driven by lower acquisition costs for BND-S and lower administration labor costs associated with rapid infusion,” the authors concluded.—Marta Rybczynski