Patient costs of breast cancer endocrine therapy agents under Medicare Part D vs with generic formulations

Through the action of aromatase, a CYP enzyme.14 Guidelines for the use of AIs in women who become postmenopausal as a result of chemotherapy or ovarian ablation have not been established. An abstract by Goss et al15 suggested that women who were premenopausal at the initiation of tamoxifen therapy but appeared postmenopausal after 5 years of therapy had improvement in disease-free survival as a result of aromatase Drostanolone buy online inhibition. Studies are currently under way to better understand the role of AIs or tamoxifen after ovarian function suppression in premenopausal women (eg, Suppression of Ovarian Function Trial10 and Tamoxifen and Exemestane trial13). Aromatase inhibitors are approved to reduce the risk of recurrence in postmenopausal women with estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer.

The present study is the first economic evaluation of adjuvant hormone therapy for postmenopausal women with hormone receptor positive breast cancer done from an Indian societal perspective. Most of the previous cost-effectiveness studies used data from trials such as ATAC, IES, and BIG-1 98. Hormone receptor HR-positive/HER2-negative (HR+/HER2−) breast cancer is the most common subtype in China, representing 60–70% of cases, with a rising incidence due to aging demographics and lifestyle changes.

The generic is considered to be as safe and effective as the original drug. To find out how the cost of Aromasin compares with the cost of exemestane, talk with your doctor, pharmacist, or insurance provider. Alternatively, ovarian function can be suppressed temporarily by treatment with drugs called gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonists, which are also known as luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) agonists. By mimicking GnRH, these medicines interfere with signals that stimulate the ovaries to produce estrogen. Approximately 67%–80% of breast cancers in women are ER positive (1, 2).

Appendix A. Precautions for Patients Taking Aromatase Inhibitors.

In postmenopausal women with ER + ve early BC, strategies using AIs appear to provide more benefit than strategies using TAM alone. Generic drugs cost less than name brand drugs but are just as effective. Hormone therapy drug costs can quickly become a financial burden for you and your family. Talk with your health care team about which treatment guidelines they follow.

The target population for the cost-effectiveness evaluation was pre/perimenopausal women aged between 18 and 59 who had histologically or cytologically confirmed HR+/HER2- advanced breast cancer. Patients who received endocrine therapy during advanced disease state or previous CDK4/6 inhibitor treatment were excluded. Our review identified 18 published CEAs that compared AIs with tamoxifen for the first line treatment of early breast cancer in post-menopausal women.

Medical Professionals

However, these studies were based on U.S. pricing data, making direct comparisons with China inapplicable. Pharmacoeconomic evaluations are highly time-sensitive and country-specific, as healthcare costs, reimbursement structures, and pricing regulations vary significantly. In contrast, our study found these therapies to be cost-effective, largely due to significant drug price reductions and lower medical costs, achieved through strategic healthcare negotiations. For instance, ribociclib’s price dropped nearly 70%, from $1,881 to $629 per package in 2023, slightly lower than the $732 predicted by Wan et al.45. Similar pricing strategies led to the inclusion of palbociclib and abemaciclib in China’s national medical insurance list, substantially improving affordability. Additionally, at the time of this study, the entry of multiple generic versions of palbociclib further reduced its market price.

• It converts the enone ring of androgen precursors such as testosterone, to a phenol, completing the synthesis of estrogen.
• Nearly 60% of included studies tested the effects of complementary/alternative interventions.
• Tamoxifen is one of the most commonly used hormone therapies for breast cancer.
• In women, aromatase inhibitors are only used in those who have gone through menopause.

The aim of treatment for secondary breast cancer is to control the cancer and give you a good quality of life . In women, aromatase inhibitors are only used in those who have gone through menopause. They cannot be used unless your body is in natural menopause or in menopause induced by medicines or removal of the ovaries. In men, aromatase inhibitors are typically used with other medicines to better block hormones in the body.

Specifically, the state-specific mean monthly drug premium costs were computed for plans in each state. We report the median and range of the state-specific mean premium costs for each study year. Similarly, for the drug-specific costs, the mean costs were computed for each state, and we report the median and range of these state means. In general, aromatase inhibitors are only used to treat breast cancer in postmenopausal women.