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The use of single dose vials for chemotherapy leads to significant wastage and unnecessary expense, according to a study published in BMJ. Researchers, led by Dr. Peter B. Bach, director of the Center for Health Policy and Outcomes at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, examined the top 20 cancer drugs based on sales projections for 2016 that are packaged in single dose vials and dosed by body size, which often results in leftover and unused medication. According to the authors, as much as 10% of the drugs were not used. However, hospital systems, including the VA and the DoD, pay for the entire dose, “making wasted drug a source of unnecessary spending,” the researchers note. The authors estimate the cost for this waste could reach $1.8 billion.
Related:FDA Approves Rescue Drug for Chemotherapy Overdose
Currently, safety standards from the U.S. Pharmacopeial Convention only permit sharing if a leftover drug is used within 6 hours, and only in specialized pharmacies. “Policy makers should also revisit the current FDA guidance on the appropriate packaging of infused drugs in single dose vials and encourage the FDA, Centers for Drug Control and Prevention, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and US Pharmacopeial Convention to reconcile their views on vial contents and vial sharing,” the authors urged. “Such steps could lead to savings for our health care system without sacrificing health outcomes. Opportunities to eradicate waste of this kind are rare.”.
Related: DoD Proposed 2017 Budget Include Cost Hikes For Military Retirees
To measure the waste the researchers estimated Medicare claims records to determine how frequently vial sharing occurred. They then calculated the most efficient way to combine available vial sizes to achieve the lowest FDA-approved dose in a representative sample of the US population derived from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey with adjustments for the cancer patient population.
Related: The Cost of Oncology Drugs: A Pharmacy Perspective, Part I
To reduce waste, the authors suggest that manufacturers be required to package drugs in quantities that allow better matching with required doses or enable virtual return of leftover drug.
The use of single dose vials for chemotherapy leads to significant wastage and unnecessary expense, according to a study published in BMJ. Researchers, led by Dr. Peter B. Bach, director of the Center for Health Policy and Outcomes at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, examined the top 20 cancer drugs based on sales projections for 2016 that are packaged in single dose vials and dosed by body size, which often results in leftover and unused medication. According to the authors, as much as 10% of the drugs were not used. However, hospital systems, including the VA and the DoD, pay for the entire dose, “making wasted drug a source of unnecessary spending,” the researchers note. The authors estimate the cost for this waste could reach $1.8 billion.
Related:FDA Approves Rescue Drug for Chemotherapy Overdose
Currently, safety standards from the U.S. Pharmacopeial Convention only permit sharing if a leftover drug is used within 6 hours, and only in specialized pharmacies. “Policy makers should also revisit the current FDA guidance on the appropriate packaging of infused drugs in single dose vials and encourage the FDA, Centers for Drug Control and Prevention, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and US Pharmacopeial Convention to reconcile their views on vial contents and vial sharing,” the authors urged. “Such steps could lead to savings for our health care system without sacrificing health outcomes. Opportunities to eradicate waste of this kind are rare.”.
Related: DoD Proposed 2017 Budget Include Cost Hikes For Military Retirees
To measure the waste the researchers estimated Medicare claims records to determine how frequently vial sharing occurred. They then calculated the most efficient way to combine available vial sizes to achieve the lowest FDA-approved dose in a representative sample of the US population derived from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey with adjustments for the cancer patient population.
Related: The Cost of Oncology Drugs: A Pharmacy Perspective, Part I
To reduce waste, the authors suggest that manufacturers be required to package drugs in quantities that allow better matching with required doses or enable virtual return of leftover drug.
The use of single dose vials for chemotherapy leads to significant wastage and unnecessary expense, according to a study published in BMJ. Researchers, led by Dr. Peter B. Bach, director of the Center for Health Policy and Outcomes at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, examined the top 20 cancer drugs based on sales projections for 2016 that are packaged in single dose vials and dosed by body size, which often results in leftover and unused medication. According to the authors, as much as 10% of the drugs were not used. However, hospital systems, including the VA and the DoD, pay for the entire dose, “making wasted drug a source of unnecessary spending,” the researchers note. The authors estimate the cost for this waste could reach $1.8 billion.
Related:FDA Approves Rescue Drug for Chemotherapy Overdose
Currently, safety standards from the U.S. Pharmacopeial Convention only permit sharing if a leftover drug is used within 6 hours, and only in specialized pharmacies. “Policy makers should also revisit the current FDA guidance on the appropriate packaging of infused drugs in single dose vials and encourage the FDA, Centers for Drug Control and Prevention, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and US Pharmacopeial Convention to reconcile their views on vial contents and vial sharing,” the authors urged. “Such steps could lead to savings for our health care system without sacrificing health outcomes. Opportunities to eradicate waste of this kind are rare.”.
Related: DoD Proposed 2017 Budget Include Cost Hikes For Military Retirees
To measure the waste the researchers estimated Medicare claims records to determine how frequently vial sharing occurred. They then calculated the most efficient way to combine available vial sizes to achieve the lowest FDA-approved dose in a representative sample of the US population derived from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey with adjustments for the cancer patient population.
Related: The Cost of Oncology Drugs: A Pharmacy Perspective, Part I
To reduce waste, the authors suggest that manufacturers be required to package drugs in quantities that allow better matching with required doses or enable virtual return of leftover drug.
