Bach analyzes "waste" of cancer drugs
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center's Peter Bach and colleagues estimated that waste of cancer drugs due to mismatches between single-dose vial size and dose will account for about 10% of the projected $18 billion in sales of the top 20 cancer drugs in the U.S. in 2016. The group proposed policy changes, including regulatory requirements that would compel manufacturers to "provide drugs in a reasonable set of size options," or allow them to select vial sizes but require them to refund the cost of leftover drug.
The analysis came in a Velcade bortezomib from Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. (Tokyo:4502) is available in the U.S. only in a 3.5 mg vial, but is sold in 1 mg vials in the U.K. Bach and colleagues said the average required Velcade dose is 2.5 mg, based on the multiple myleoma drug's label and the average weight of a cancer patient. They estimated that 27-30% of U.S. Velcade sales are related to leftover drug, or about $308.7 million projected in 2016. ...