Operational efficiencies of using one vs multiple bispecific antibodies for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and follicular lymphoma in the US

To quantify the time- and cost-savings to US oncology practices from using a single bispecific antibody (bsAb) for both relapsed/refractory (R/R) diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and follicular lymphoma (FL) compared with using two separate single-indication therapies.
The study conducted a national survey of clinicians (oncologists, pharmacists, nurses/physician assistants) treating non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) patients in the US to quantify the impact of operational efficiencies identified through formative qualitative interviews with oncology staff. Quantitative analysis estimated time-savings based on survey data, assuming one new prescription per patient per year and 12 (DLBCL) and 15 (FL) administration visits per patient per year. Time-savings were combined with staff wage rates to estimate cost-savings.
Among n = 105 respondents, drivers of operational efficiencies included onboarding, coordinating insurance and financial aid, and medication preparation. For a hypothetical community practice treating 100 bsAb-eligible patients (61% DLBCL, 39% FL), total time-savings were 3110 h in the first year of adoption, resulting in total monetized time-savings of $278,013. For a hypothetical academic practice, monetized time-savings were $963,074 in the first year of adoption.
Using a single bsAb to treat R/R DLBCL and FL is predicted to lead to considerable time- and cost-savings for oncology practices.
This study examined the benefits of using one medication that can treat two different types of blood cancer, instead of using two separate medications (one for each cancer type). The medication studied is a special treatment that can target both diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and follicular lymphoma, which are two different types of non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
Currently, cancer centers often need to use different medications for each of these cancer types. This means managing separate paperwork, insurance approvals, and preparation processes for each medication. Our study surveyed 105 healthcare professionals (doctors, pharmacists, nurses) to understand how using a single medication for both cancers could streamline these processes.
For a hypothetical community cancer center treating 100 patients with these blood cancers, using one medication instead of two separate ones could save staff over 3000 hours of work in the first year. This translates to about $278,000 in cost savings. For larger academic medical centers, the savings could be even greater – around $963,000 in the first year.
These findings suggest that having one medication that effectively treats both cancer types can significantly reduce workload for healthcare staff and lower costs for cancer treatment centers, potentially allowing them to dedicate more resources to patient care.

本研究旨在对比美国肿瘤临床实践中，采用单一双特异性抗体（bispecific antibody, bsAb）同时治疗复发难治性（relapsed/refractory, R/R）弥漫大B细胞淋巴瘤（diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, DLBCL）与滤泡性淋巴瘤（follicular lymphoma, FL），与分别使用两种单一适应症疗法的方案，量化前者可为临床带来的时间与成本节约。
本研究针对美国境内收治非霍奇金淋巴瘤（non-Hodgkin lymphoma, NHL）患者的临床医护人员（肿瘤医师、药师、护士/医师助理）开展全国性调查，以量化通过与肿瘤医护人员开展的形成性定性访谈所明确的运营效率提升带来的影响。研究基于调查数据开展定量分析，假设每位患者每年开具1次新处方，且每位DLBCL患者每年需接受12次给药就诊、每位FL患者每年需接受15次给药就诊，以此估算时间节约量；再结合医护人员薪资水平，进一步测算成本节约额。
本次调查共回收105份有效问卷，运营效率提升的驱动因素包括患者入组流程、保险与经济援助协调及药物制备环节。针对收治100名符合bsAb治疗条件患者（其中61%为DLBCL患者、39%为FL患者）的假设性社区临床实践，方案落地首年累计可节约3110工时，对应货币化时间节约总额达278,013美元；针对假设性学术医疗中心，首年货币化成本节约额可达963,074美元。
研究预测，采用单一双特异性抗体治疗复发难治性DLBCL与FL，可为肿瘤临床实践带来显著的时间与成本节约。
本研究同时评估了采用一款可同时治疗两类血液癌症的单一药物，而非分别使用两款对应单一癌种药物的临床收益。本次受试药物为一款可同时靶向弥漫大B细胞淋巴瘤与滤泡性淋巴瘤的特殊疗法，二者均为非霍奇金淋巴瘤的亚型。当前癌症中心通常需为两类癌种分别使用不同药物，这意味着需为每种药物单独处理文书工作、申请保险审批及开展药物制备流程。为此，本研究调研了105名医护人员（医师、药师、护士），以明确采用单一药物同时治疗两类癌种可如何优化上述流程。
针对收治100名此类血液癌症患者的假设性社区癌症中心，采用单一药物替代两款分离药物可在首年为医护人员节省超3000工时，对应成本节约约278,000美元；而对于规模更大的学术医疗中心，节约额可进一步提升，首年可达约963,000美元。
上述研究结果表明，开发一款可同时有效治疗两类癌种的药物，可显著降低医护人员的工作负担，并降低癌症治疗中心的运营成本，从而有望让临床机构将更多资源投入到患者护理工作中。