Beyond medicines’ barriers: exploring the true cost of multiple myeloma

Choon-Quinones, Mimi; Zelei, Tamás; Barnett, Mike; Keown, Paul; Durie, Brian G.M.; Kaló, Zoltán; Almási, Tímea; Harousseau, Jean‐Luc; Hose, Dirk

doi:10.1080/13696998.2022.2133823

Cited by 4 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 21 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…There is a scarcity in the literature of similar analyses including data from the last three years, during which, several regimens with meaningful clinical and economic impacts have been added to the MM therapeutic armamentarium. However, available studies describing MM treatment costs in earlier periods also showed progressive yearly increases [17,20], and multiple studies assessing MM healthcare resource utilization found that medicines were a key cost driver in any line of treatment [18,19,21,[47][48][49][50]. The mean cost per patient in a healthcare resource utilization study conducted in France was EUR 61,500 [22], almost EUR 10,000 lower than the figure reported here (EUR 70,816).…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 50%

Evolution of Pharmacological Treatments and Associated Costs for Multiple Myeloma in the Public Healthcare System of Catalonia: A Retrospective Observational Study

Garrido-Alejos,

Saborit-Canals,

Guarga

et al. 2023

Cancers

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

(1) Background: Our understanding of and treatment for multiple myeloma (MM) has advanced significantly, and new pharmacological treatments have promising benefits but high price tags. This study analyzes prescription patterns and pharmaceutical expenditure for MM treatments in Catalonia’s public healthcare system over eight years. (2) Methods: A retrospective observational study examined MM treatment data from 2015 to 2022 in Catalonia, using healthcare registries from the Catalan Health Service to collect information on patients, medicines used, and treatment costs. (3) Results: A total of 4556 MM patients received treatment, with a rising trend in the number of treated patients each year from 902 in 2015 to 1899 in 2022. The mean age was 68.9 years, and patients were almost evenly distributed by gender (51.5% male). Most patients were treated with bortezomib (3338 patients), lenalidomide (2952), and/or daratumumab (1093). Most drugs showed increased utilization annually, most significantly for lenalidomide and daratumumab. The total pharmacological treatment cost throughout the entire study period was EUR 321,811,249, with lenalidomide leading with the highest total cost (EUR 157,236,784), and daratumumab exhibiting the highest increase in annual expenditure. (5) Conclusions: The study reveals a progressive increase in the number of MM patients treated and rising pharmaceutical costs. Lenalidomide and daratumumab incurred the highest costs. The findings highlight MM treatment’s economic impact and the need to monitor prescription patterns and expenditures to optimize healthcare resources and decision making. Understanding these trends can guide resource allocation effectively.

show abstract

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 50%

Evolution of Pharmacological Treatments and Associated Costs for Multiple Myeloma in the Public Healthcare System of Catalonia: A Retrospective Observational Study

Garrido-Alejos,

Saborit-Canals,

Guarga

et al. 2023

Cancers

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…With combination regimens being the cornerstone of MM treatment, these drug costs now represent the most important component of overall healthcare expenses in MM treatment. 1 This increasingly puts pressure on healthcare budgets, [2][3][4][5][6][7][8] and potentially endangers (future) access to health care. 9 Thus, sensibly utilising (expensive) drugs and applying these agents in the right patient at the appropriate timeincluding timely cessation of treatment-is crucial to ensure affordability, which supports the goal of achieving and retaining global drug access for MM patients.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Novel drugs for multiple myeloma (MM) meaningfully improve duration and quality of life, but are associated with high drug costs. With combination regimens being the cornerstone of MM treatment, these drug costs now represent the most important component of overall healthcare expenses in MM treatment 1 . This increasingly puts pressure on healthcare budgets, 2–8 and potentially endangers (future) access to health care 9 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Treatment sequences and drug costs from diagnosis to death in multiple myeloma

Seefat,

Cucchi,

Groen

et al. 2023

European J of Haematology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Novel therapies for multiple myeloma (MM) have improved patient survival, but their high costs strain healthcare budgets. End‐of‐life phases of treatment are generally the most expensive, however, these high costs may be less justifiable in the context of a less pronounced clinical benefit. To manage drug expenses effectively, detailed information on end‐of‐life drug administration and costs are crucial. In this retrospective study, we analysed treatment sequences and drug costs from 96 MM patients in the Netherlands who died between January 2017 and July 2019. Patients received up to 16 lines of therapy (median overall survival: 56.5 months), with average lifetime costs of €209 871 (€3111/month; range: €3942–€776 185) for anti‐MM drugs. About 85% of patients received anti‐MM treatment in the last 3 months before death, incurring costs of €20 761 (range: €70–€50 122; 10% of total). Half of the patients received anti‐MM treatment in the last 14 days, mainly fully oral regimens (66%). End‐of‐life treatment costs are substantial despite limited survival benefits. The use of expensive treatment options is expected to increase costs further. These data serve as a reference point for future cost studies, and further research is needed to identify factors predicting the efficacy and clinical benefit of continuing end‐of‐life therapy.

show abstract