Outpatient oral anticancer agent utilization and costs in Manitoba from 2003 to 2016: a population-based study.
INTERVENTION
In April 2012, the Manitoba Home Cancer Drug Program (HCDP) was introduced to allow 100% coverage for eligible oral anticancer agents (OAA) and supportive medications for Manitobans with cancer requiring these therapies.


RESEARCH QUESTIONS
What is the extent of use and cost of OAAs among outpatients in Manitoba from 2003/04 to 2015/16? Did the HCDP change OAA user and prescription patterns?


METHODS
This was a retrospective, population-based study using administrative data to measure the prevalence of drug utilization over time and the impact of HCDP on OAA use and prescriptions using generalized linear models. Manitobans with cancer who filled an OAA or supportive medication covered by HCDP from 2003/04 to 2015/16 were included.


RESULTS
This study included 22,393 people with cancer who filled an OAA prescription. The prevalence of OAA use increased from 222 per 100,000 to 328 per 100,000 from 2003/04 to 2015/16. Hormone therapy for breast cancer was the most common class of OAA used (increased from 154 per 100,000 to 231 per 100,000). We observed a 2.6-fold decrease in the prevalence of oral alkylating agents and a 10.7-fold increase in the prevalence of protein kinase inhibitors during the study period. The total cost of targeted OAAs per year for all Manitobans with cancer increased from $1.8 million to $19 million.


CONCLUSION
We observed an increase in OAA prevalence and the cost of oral targeted chemotherapy is high. Our findings underline the need for addressing these high-cost medications in future developments of a national drug program.
['Leong|Christine|C|0000-0003-0033-6877', 'Czaykowski|Piotr|P|', 'Geirnaert|Marc|M|', 'Katz|Alan|A|', 'Dragan|Roxana|R|', 'Yogendran|Marina|M|', 'Raymond|Colette|C|']
D000328:Adult D000368:Aged D000970:Antineoplastic Agents D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis D005260:Female D006801:Humans D008297:Male D008350:Manitoba D008875:Middle Aged D009062:Mouth Neoplasms D010045:Outpatients D055553:Prescription Drugs D012189:Retrospective Studies
Outpatient Cancer Medication Chemotherapy Epidemiology Oral chemotherapy