A real-world data approach to determine the optimal dosing strategy for pembrolizumab.

Journal of Oncology Pharmacy Practice : Official Publication of the International Society of Oncology Pharmacy Practitioners
Ashley JangAlison Pow

Abstract

Cancer drug therapy costs continue to rise and threaten the sustainability of Canada's public healthcare system. Previous studies have calculated potential savings utilizing different dosing regimens of cancer treatments. Our objectives were to determine the financial impact of drug wastage and to explore cost-effective dosing regimens for pembrolizumab. This was a retrospective study reviewing data for non-small cell lung cancer and melanoma patients at all six BC Cancer Regional Centres during fiscal years 2017 and 2018. Pembrolizumab waste amounts recorded in pharmacy wastage logs were totalled. Estimates of the number of vials used were compared between vial sharing and non-vial sharing practices to determine the cost differences. Costs for dosing regimens used during fiscal years 2017 and 2018 were compared to 2 mg/kg weight-based dosing (to a maximum of 200 mg), 2 mg/kg dosing rounding down within 5% and 10%, and flat dosing of 200 mg. There were a total of 202 non-small cell lung cancer and 182 melanoma patients with 2948 doses dispensed. Documented wastage was valued at $1,829,047.44 (8.65%) and across all six centres, vial sharing could reduce costs by $3,207,600.00 using the 100 mg vials. Compared to fiscal years 2017...Continue Reading

References

Aug 24, 2011·Value in Health : the Journal of the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research·Luciana ClarkFabíola Puty
Mar 21, 2013·Journal of Oncology Pharmacy Practice : Official Publication of the International Society of Oncology Pharmacy Practitioners·Anthony JarkowskiNikhil I Khushalani
Aug 27, 2013·Journal of Oncology Pharmacy Practice : Official Publication of the International Society of Oncology Pharmacy Practitioners·Michael S EdwardsLorenzo M Preston
Oct 11, 2016·The New England Journal of Medicine·Martin ReckUNKNOWN KEYNOTE-024 Investigators
May 19, 2017·Journal for Immunotherapy of Cancer·Tomoko FreshwaterJulie A Stone
Jun 13, 2017·Journal of Oncology Practice·Caitlyn Y W LeungKelvin K W Chan
Dec 30, 2017·Journal of Oncology Pharmacy Practice : Official Publication of the International Society of Oncology Pharmacy Practitioners·Mehmet S CopurMax Norvell
Jan 6, 2018·CMAJ Open·Claire de OliveiraStuart Peacock
Jul 19, 2018·Journal of the American Pharmacists Association : JAPhA·Ori LiranDaniel A Goldstein
Dec 7, 2018·Applied Health Economics and Health Policy·Anthony J Hatswell, Joshua K Porter

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Citations

Nov 21, 2020·Journal of Oncology Pharmacy Practice : Official Publication of the International Society of Oncology Pharmacy Practitioners·Peter J Gilbar, Mark R Davis

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Related Concepts

Related Feeds

Breast Cancer: Therapeutic Approaches

Several different therapeutic approaches are used to treat breast cancer. These include chemotherapy, hormonal therapy, targeted therapy, and Immunotherapy. Discover the latest research on breast cancer therapeutic approaches here.