Early national dissemination of abiraterone and enzalutamide for advanced prostate cancer in Medicare Part D.

Authors

null

Megan Veresh Caram

University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center, Ann Arbor, MI

Megan Veresh Caram, Tudor Borza, Hye-Sung Min, Jennifer J. Griggs, David Christopher Miller, Brent K. Hollenbeck, Bhramar Mukherjee, Ted A. Skolarus

Organizations

University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center, Ann Arbor, MI, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, University of Michigan Health System, Ann Arbor, MI, Department of Urology, University of Michigan Health System, Ann Arbor, MI, Department of Biostatistics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, Department of Urology, Dow Division of Health Services Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI

Research Funding

Other

Background: Abiraterone and enzalutamide are oral medications approved by the Food & Drug Administration in 2011 and 2012 to treat men with advanced castration-resistant prostate cancer. Most men with advanced prostate cancer are over age 65 and thus eligible for Medicare Part D. We conducted a study to better understand the early dissemination of these drugs across the United States using national Medicare Part D data. Methods: We evaluated the number of prescriptions for abiraterone and enzalutamide by provider specialty and hospital referral region (HRR) using Medicare Part D and Dartmouth Atlas data. We categorized HRRs by abiraterone and enzalutamide prescriptions, adjusted for prostate cancer incidence, and examined factors associated with regional variation using multilevel regression models. Results: Among all providers who wrote prescriptions for abiraterone or enzalutamide in 2013 (n=2121), 87.5% were medical oncologists, 3.3% urologists, and 9.2% were listed as other provider specialties. Among those who prescribed either drug, 5% of providers were responsible for 75% of the claims for abiraterone, and 7% were responsible for 75% of the claims for enzalutamide. Some HRRs demonstrated low-prescribing rates despite average medical oncology and urology physician workforce density. Conclusions: The majority of prescriptions written for abiraterone and enzalutamide through Medicare Part D in 2013 were written by a minority of providers with marked regional variation across the United States. Better understanding the early national dissemination of these effective but expensive drugs can help inform strategies to optimize introduction of new, evidence-based advanced prostate cancer treatments.

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Abstract Details

Meeting

2017 ASCO Quality Care Symposium

Session Type

Poster Session

Session Title

Poster Session A: Cost, Value, and Policy in Quality; Practice of Quality

Track

Cost, Value, and Policy in Quality,Practice of Quality

Sub Track

Specialty and Manpower Issues

Citation

J Clin Oncol 35, 2017 (suppl 8S; abstract 35)

DOI

10.1200/JCO.2017.35.8_suppl.35

Abstract #

35

Poster Bd #

B19

Abstract Disclosures

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