Dosing patterns, healthcare resource utilization and costs among acromegaly patients who consistently use lanreotide...

Aim: In the US, lanreotide and injectable octreotide are commonly used to treat acromegaly. For most patients, the recommended injection administration regimen is every 4 weeks, or 13-times over the course of 1 year. The study aimed to quantify the proportion of patients who used a number of injections that is beyond the standard recommended regimen and to assess whether high frequency (HF) use is associated with higher healthcare resource utilization and costs. Materials & methods: IQVIA Pharmetrics Plus data between 1 January 2013 and 30 June 2023 was used to conduct a retrospective, observational study of acromegaly patients who used injectable octreotide or lanreotide for at least 2 years. The primary study outcomes were the number of injections and HF use. HF use is defined as having observed more than 13 injections over a 1-year observation period. Results: There were 420 patients with acromegaly who used injectable octreotide (n = 250) or lanreotide (n = 170) for a median of 4 years. HF use was observed in 32.4% of injectable octreotide users and 30.6% of lanreotide users. Over the course of 1 year, mean total healthcare costs were significantly higher among HF users compared with non-HF users among patients treated with injectable octreotide ($130,238 vs $85,964, p < 0.001) or lanreotide ($143,975 vs $96,518, p < 0.001). Additionally, 10% of HF users incurred $238,070-$281,167 or more. Based on the average cost per injection, patients with HF use had an additional $12,803-$13,480 in injection costs each year. Conclusion: Among those who are consistently treated, nearly a third of patients with acromegaly are HF users of lanreotide or injectable octreotide. The economic burden of HF use is high. Given the high proportion of patients who require administration beyond what is indicated on approved drug labels, further evaluation of new therapies is warranted.