Study Says that Conversion of Intermediate-Risk FN Patients to Pegfilgrastim Biosimilar Likely to Have Large Budget Impact

A new study funded by Sandoz related to the budget impact of expanding patient access to biosimilar pegfilgrastim (Ziextenzo) was presented during the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy’s AMCP eLearning Days virtual meeting in April. The study found that expanding access to Ziextenzo to patients with intermediate risk of developing febrile neutropenia (FN) could have a budget impact of more than $15 million per year by 2024, and further that switching patients at high risk who are already taking Neulasta could have a budget impact of more than $30 million per year in the same timeframe.  The investigators conducted their analysis by creating a 5-year projection of savings and applying it to a hypothetical one-million-member health plan with a mix of commercial payer and Medicare plan participants.