Costs differences among monoclonal antibodies-based first-line oncology @entity5 protocols for @entity0 , @entity14 and XXXX .

@entity1 @entity0 @entity5 @entity14 @entity1893
PURPOSE: To assess and compare the costs of first-line monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) treatment protocols in @entity0 , @entity1893 and @entity14 in South-Eastern Europe. METHODS: A retrospective, bottom-up case series study design was implemented with one-year time horizon and payer's perspective. The study sample size was 265 @entity1 ( @entity0 , N=137; @entity14 , N=44; and @entity1893 , N=84), while treatment protocols included adjuvant mAbs: trastuzumab (N=137), bevacizumab (N=28), rituximab (N=16) and cetuximab (N=84). ICD-10 related resources use included history of medical services utilization, chronology (time out of service provision) and unit consumption of examinations, drugs prescribed, imaging, radiotherapy and surgical procedures provided etc., direct medical and lost productivity costs (   ) across treatment groups during 2010-2013. RESULTS: The average length of observation was 125+97 days per @entity1 . Total mean direct and indirect costs of care were: trastuzumab for @entity0 group     17,740 per @entity1 ; bevacizumab for @entity14 group    8,775 per @entity1 ; cetuximab for @entity14 group     27,181 per @entity1 ; and rituximab for @entity1893 group    19,431 per @entity1 . An average mAbs-treated @entity1 incurred    17,897 costs of medical care. The total combined budget of these 330 @entity1 was    4,742,775. CONCLUSIONS: The use of mAbs strongly correlated with high costs in @entity5 medical care and dominated other cost domains. Cetuximab-based treatment protocols in @entity14 @entity1 was substantially more expensive compared to trastuzumab (C50), bevacizumab (C20), and rituximab (C80) alternatives. Extremely high costs of mAbs are the key-issue for Eastern European policy makers by crossing the upper limits of affordability in middle-income economies.
