Oral oncolytics are becoming a mainstay in oncology, representing first-line therapies for numerous different malignancies. In addition, the cost of oncology drugs has increased dramatically in recent years. Given the increasing number of oral oncolytics available, as well as the increase in medication costs in recent years, it is important to assess the trend in prescriptions and expenditures of these agents.
Methods:
A descriptive retrospective analysis of the Medicare Part D Provider Utilization and Payment Data Public Use File (PUF) was conducted for the years 2013 through 2017. Outcomes of interest included total aggregate prescriptions per year, total aggregate expenditures per year, mean expenditure per prescription per year, and mean expenditure per standardized 30-day prescription per year. Chi-square tests were conducted to assess statistical significance of differences in proportions of prescriptions as well as expenditures between 2013 and 2017.
Results:
The number of prescriptions for oral oncolytics dispensed to Medicare Part D beneficiaries increased from 7,017,902 in 2013 to 8,164,883 in 2017. Medicare Part D expenditures for oral oncolytics increased greater than 2.5-fold from $5,631,224,307 in 2013 to $14,422,681,331 in 2017 after adjusting for inflation. The mean expenditure per prescription for oral oncolytics increased from $802 in 2013 to $1,766 in 2017.
Conclusions:
This study found oral oncolytic utilization has been increasing in recent years with a slight, but statistically significant increase in the proportion of oncolytics for all Medicare prescriptions from 2013 through 2017.
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