title: Computer-assisted management of unconsumed drugs as a cost-containment strategy in oncology.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Cost-containment strategies are required to deal with rising drug expenditure, also in oncology. Drug wastage related to the preparation of chemotherapy drugs for patients is costly, but solutions exist for optimizing the use of unconsumed anticancer drugs.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Our pharmacy department makes use of a computerized drug storage bank, which records stability data and the amounts of unconsumed drugs available, and is connected to prescription software via an interface. We aimed to evaluate the real cost savings generated by this system.
  
  
  METHODS
  We assessed the cost savings achieved with this system, for 37 different anticancer drugs, over a 1-year period. French drug pricing and the amounts of drugs from the storage bank potentially re-used were assessed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The re-use of unconsumed anticancer drugs generated substantial cost savings, for nine drugs in particular: azacitidine, bevacizumab, bortezomib, cetuximab, docetaxel, liposomal doxorubicin, rituximab, topotecan and trastuzumab. Overall cost savings accounted for about 5 % of total anticancer drug expenditure at our hospital (<euro>8.5 M).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In medical hematology-oncology, drug wastage reduction and a computerized physician order entry system could be applied in routine practice at centralized drug-processing units, with significant financial benefits.
authors.affiliation: UMR CNRS 7292/EA 6306, Université de Tours, Tours, France, renaud.respaud@univ-tours.fr.
authors.forename: Renaud
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Respaud
authors.forename: Jean-François
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Tournamille
authors.forename: Gael
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Saintenoy
authors.forename: Claude
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Linassier
authors.forename: Claire
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Elfakir
authors.forename: Marie-Claude
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Viaud-Massuard
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Antier
mesh_terms: D016588:Anticarcinogenic Agents / Q000191:economics*; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000191:economics; D003363:Cost Control / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004355:Drug Stability; D004363:Drug Utilization / Q000191:economics*; D006801:Humans; D050316:Medical Order Entry Systems; D010594:Pharmacies / Q000191:economics
chemical_list: D016588:Anticarcinogenic Agents; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents