IMPACT OF DIFFERENT DOSING STRATEGIES OF NIVOLUMAB IN PATIENTS WITH SOLID TUMORS: ITALIAN SINGLE CENTER ANALYSIS

Abstract

Nivolumab is approved and reimbursed by Italian Drug Agency (AIFA) in several tumors, including non-small cell lung cancer, head & neck cancer and renal cell cancer. In May 2018, the original schedule (3 mg/kg every 2 weeks) used in pivotal clinical trials demonstrating treatment efficacy was replaced by a flat dose (240 mg every 2 weeks). Aim of this study was to identify the most cost-effective dosing strategy of nivolumab in a real-world setting. The primary endpoint of this analysis was the difference of nivolumab costs between the real scenario based on data from our hospital, and the hypothetical expenditure according to different simulated strategies of nivolumab dosing. The secondary endpoint was to report the economic savings associated with “drug day” and dose rounding strategies in the same scenario. We collected data from patients treated with nivolumab at Mauriziano Umberto I Hospital in Turin, from January 2019 to August 2020. We ana1 Department of Oncology, University of Turin, Ordine Mauriziano Hospital, Turin, Italy 2 Hospital Pharmacy, Ordine Mauriziano Hospital, Turin, Italy * Contributed equally CORRESPONDING AUTHOR: