Costs Higher for Loss-of-Productivity With Injectable Chemotherapy for Multiple Myeloma

Disability benefit use and workplace productivity loss in the 12 months following multiple myeloma diagnosis was higher in patients who received injectable chemotherapy compared with patients who received oral chemotherapy, according to a study published in the Journal of Managed Care & Specialty Pharmacy.

“Although overall survival in patients with multiple myeloma has significantly increased in the past decade due to improved treatments, this study demonstrates an increasing financial burden posed by multiple myeloma therapies,” researchers wrote. “Our findings highlight the importance of considering indirect costs alongside efficacy, safety, and direct costs during the treatment decision-making process.”

Patients who received injectable chemotherapy missed an average 110 work days the year after their diagnosis, compared with 87 missed work days for patients who received oral chemotherapy, according to the study.

The value of the productivity loss experienced by patients who received injectable chemotherapy was $18,315. Patients who received oral chemotherapy, meanwhile, had productivity loss valued at $14,429 the year after diagnosis. The $3886 difference between the two groups was statistically significant, researchers pointed out.

“The greater productivity loss observed among patients treated with injectable therapy,” researchers wrote, “may continue to persist over a longer time horizon (e.g., 2 or 3 years after diagnosis) as patients increasingly receive long-term treatment.”

—Jolynn Tumolo

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