Dive Brief:
- Roche’s MabThera (rituximab) is used to treat various types of cancer.
- In this case, NHS will fund the use of MabThera SC (subcutaneous) for roughly 2,400 patients in the UK with follicular lymphoma, a type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
- The cost-savings to NHS could exceed $4.2 million per year, mainly because of the time saved by not having to prepare and administer intravenous (IV) chemotherapy.
Dive Insight:
MabThera SC was approved in the UK based on the SABRINA study, which compared how effective and convenient the subcutaneous formulation was compared to traditional IV.
In addition to cost-savings, treating patients with SC versus IV formulations will ease pressure on overburdened chemotherapy costs.