title: New graphic AUC-based method to estimate overall survival benefit: pomalidomide reanalysis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Difference in median survival is an erratic measure and sometimes does not provide a good assessment of survival benefit. The aim of this study was to reanalyse the overall survival benefit of pomalidomide from pivotal clinical trial using a new area under curve (AUC)-based method.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In the pivotal trial, pomalidomide plus low-dose dexamethasone showed a significant survival benefit over high-dose dexamethasone, with a difference between medians of 4.6 months. The new AUC method applied to the survival curves, obtained an overall survival benefit of 2.6 months for the pomalidomide treatment. This average difference in OS was calculated for the 61.5% of patients for whom the time to event is reliable enough.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This 2-month differential would have major clinical and pharmacoeconomic implications, on both cost-effectiveness studies and on the willingness of the healthcare systems to pay for this treatment.
authors.affiliation: Pharmacy Department, Puerto Real Universitary Hospital, Cadiz, Spain.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fenix-Caballero
authors.affiliation: Pharmacy Department, Puerto Real Universitary Hospital, Cadiz, Spain.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Diaz-Navarro
authors.affiliation: Pharmacy Department, Juan Ramon Jimenez Hospital, Huelva, Spain.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Prieto-Callejero
authors.affiliation: Pharmacy Department, Puerto Real Universitary Hospital, Cadiz, Spain.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Rios-Sanchez
authors.affiliation: Pharmacy Department, Puerto Real Universitary Hospital, Cadiz, Spain.
authors.forename: E J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Alegre-del Rey
authors.affiliation: Pharmacy Department, Puerto Real Universitary Hospital, Cadiz, Spain.
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Borrero-Rubio
mesh_terms: D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000191:economics / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D019540:Area Under Curve; D003907:Dexamethasone / Q000008:administration & dosage; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D017850:Economics, Pharmaceutical; D006801:Humans; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D016019:Survival Analysis; D013792:Thalidomide / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000493:pharmacokinetics
chemical_list: D013792:Thalidomide; D003907:Dexamethasone; C467566:pomalidomide
keywords: area under curve; clinical pharmacy; evidence-based medicine; overall survival; pomalidomide