Observational studyClinical drug investigation2018
Prevalence of Use and Cost of Biological and Non-Biological Targeted Therapies for Cancer Treatment: A 5-Year Picture from Southern Italy.
Observational study in Clinical drug investigation, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 3 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed, 5 citations in OpenAlex.
- Drug Utilization Study and Safety Pattern of Biologicals in a Tertiary Care Hospital at Eastern India.Cureus · 2026Article
- Cost-effectiveness analysis of the new oncological drug durvalumab in Italian patients with stage III non-small cell lung cancer.Thoracic cancer · 2022Article
- Perspective: A Life Course Approach to Primordial Prevention is Essential for Sustainability of Cancer Control.Cancer control : journal of the Moffitt Cancer CenterArticle
Corrections and comments
- Erratum issued
Authors and funding
13 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND
objectivesConsidering the clinical and economic burden of biological and non-biological targeted therapies in cancer treatment, it is necessary to explore how these drugs are used in routine care in Italy and how they affect the sustainability of the National Health Services. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of use and costs of biological and non-biological targeted therapies for cancer treatment in a general population of Southern Italy in the years 2010–2014.
methodsThis was a retrospective, observational study using data from the healthcare administrative databases of Messina Province for the years 2010-2014. In this study, users of biological and non-biological targeted therapies for cancer treatment were characterized and the prevalence of use and costs were calculated over time. The potential impact of biosimilars on the expenditure was also estimated.
resultsOf a population of 653,810 residents in the Messina area during the study years, 2491 (0.4%) patients received at least one study drug. The most frequently used were monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) (n = 1607; 64.5%) and tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) (n = 609; 24.4%). mAbs were mainly used by females (60.3%) for metastasis due to an unspecified primary tumor, lymphomas, or breast cancer (24.2, 16.7, and 13.7%, respectively). Most users of small molecules were males (56.3%) being treated for multiple myeloma, metastasis due to unspecified primary tumor, leukemia, and lung cancer (13.1, 12.6, 9.5, and 8.9%, respectively). During the study years, the prevalence of use doubled from 0.9 to 1.8 per 1000 inhabitants; likewise, the related expenditure grew from €6.6 to €13.6 million. Based on our forecasts, this expenditure will grow to €25 million in 2020. Assuming a 50% biosimilar uptake (trastuzumab and rituximab), a potential yearly saving of almost €1 million may be achieved.
conclusionsIn recent years, the use and costs of biological and non-biological targeted therapies in cancer patients dramatically increased in a large population from Southern Italy. This trend may be counterbalanced by adopting biosimilars once they are available. Claims databases represent a valid tool to monitor the uptake of newly marketed biological drugs and biosimilars as well as other non-biological targeted therapies.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.