Clinical trials and drug cost savings for Italian Health Service
Background: The cost of anticancer drugs is constantly growing. The aim of this study was determine the impact in terms of cost reduction for anticancer drug in the Italian Health Service due to patient participation in clinical trials.
Methods: We evaluated the cost of drugs administered to patients treated in clinical trials at the National Cancer Institute of Naples in a four-week time period. Patients with a diagnosis of different cancers were considered, including adjuvant therapy and treatment for advanced disease, pharma sponsored and investigator initiated phase I, II and III clinical studies. We defined the expected standard treatment for each patient and we calculated the cost of the standard antineoplastic drugs that should be administered in clinical practice outside clinical trials. We used the market price of drugs to determine the cost savings value. Costs other than drugs were not included in the cost saving calculation.
Results: From 23.10.2017 to 17.11.2017, 126 patients were treated in 34 pharma sponsored and investigator initiated clinical trials, using experimental drugs provided free of charge by the sponsors, for an overall number of 152 cycles of therapy. If these patients were treated with conventional therapies in clinical practice the cost of antineoplastic drugs would account for 517,658 Euros, with an average of 5,487 Euros saved per patients for a period of four weeks.
Conclusions: Clinical trials with investigational antineoplastic drugs provided free of charge by Sponsors render considerable cost savings, with a tangible benefit in clinical and administrative strategies to reduce drug expenditures.
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
Figure 4
Figure 5
This is a list of supplementary files associated with this preprint. Click to download.
Posted 25 Sep, 2020
On 26 Nov, 2020
On 26 Nov, 2020
On 12 Nov, 2020
Received 28 Oct, 2020
On 05 Oct, 2020
Invitations sent on 01 Oct, 2020
On 01 Oct, 2020
Received 01 Oct, 2020
On 23 Sep, 2020
On 22 Sep, 2020
On 22 Sep, 2020
On 30 Aug, 2020
Received 28 Aug, 2020
Received 19 Aug, 2020
On 07 Aug, 2020
On 05 Jul, 2020
Invitations sent on 30 Jun, 2020
On 30 Jun, 2020
On 30 Jun, 2020
On 21 Jun, 2020
On 21 Jun, 2020
On 20 Jun, 2020
On 20 Jun, 2020
Clinical trials and drug cost savings for Italian Health Service
Posted 25 Sep, 2020
On 26 Nov, 2020
On 26 Nov, 2020
On 12 Nov, 2020
Received 28 Oct, 2020
On 05 Oct, 2020
Invitations sent on 01 Oct, 2020
On 01 Oct, 2020
Received 01 Oct, 2020
On 23 Sep, 2020
On 22 Sep, 2020
On 22 Sep, 2020
On 30 Aug, 2020
Received 28 Aug, 2020
Received 19 Aug, 2020
On 07 Aug, 2020
On 05 Jul, 2020
Invitations sent on 30 Jun, 2020
On 30 Jun, 2020
On 30 Jun, 2020
On 21 Jun, 2020
On 21 Jun, 2020
On 20 Jun, 2020
On 20 Jun, 2020
Background: The cost of anticancer drugs is constantly growing. The aim of this study was determine the impact in terms of cost reduction for anticancer drug in the Italian Health Service due to patient participation in clinical trials.
Methods: We evaluated the cost of drugs administered to patients treated in clinical trials at the National Cancer Institute of Naples in a four-week time period. Patients with a diagnosis of different cancers were considered, including adjuvant therapy and treatment for advanced disease, pharma sponsored and investigator initiated phase I, II and III clinical studies. We defined the expected standard treatment for each patient and we calculated the cost of the standard antineoplastic drugs that should be administered in clinical practice outside clinical trials. We used the market price of drugs to determine the cost savings value. Costs other than drugs were not included in the cost saving calculation.
Results: From 23.10.2017 to 17.11.2017, 126 patients were treated in 34 pharma sponsored and investigator initiated clinical trials, using experimental drugs provided free of charge by the sponsors, for an overall number of 152 cycles of therapy. If these patients were treated with conventional therapies in clinical practice the cost of antineoplastic drugs would account for 517,658 Euros, with an average of 5,487 Euros saved per patients for a period of four weeks.
Conclusions: Clinical trials with investigational antineoplastic drugs provided free of charge by Sponsors render considerable cost savings, with a tangible benefit in clinical and administrative strategies to reduce drug expenditures.
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
Figure 4
Figure 5