PARP Inhibitor Costs Give Patients With Ovarian Cancer Financial Toxicity

Ross F. Harrison, MD, a gynecologic oncologist at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, discusses the out-of-pocket costs for patients with ovarian cancer receiving PARP inhibitor treatment.

For this investigation, Harrison and his colleagues used a national database of health insurance claims to identify patients with ovarian cancer treated with 1 of 3 PARP inhibitors. After that, the investigators looked at how much the drugs costed patients and the patients’ insurance company. They also looked at the cost of healthcare resources during patients’ treatment.

This research showed that, on average, patients spent $305 per month on PARP inhibitor therapy, although the median value was about $40. The cost of PARP inhibitors for the insurance companies was high as well, at $1300 to $1400 per month for the drug alone. Harrison says when you consider the overall healthcare costs that are incurred by patients being treated with PARP inhibitors, it is also high. It was found that patients were spending 8% to 9% of their household income per month on average for healthcare services during treatment with a PARP inhibitor.

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