Treatment patterns and costs of care for patients with relapsed and refractory Hodgkin lymphoma treated with brentuximab vedotin in the United States: A retrospective cohort study

OBJECTIVES: Although brentuximab vedotin (BV) has changed the management of patients with relapsed or refractory Hodgkin lymphoma (RRHL), little information is available on routine clinical practice. We identified treatment patterns and costs of care among RRHL patients in the United States (US) treated with BV. METHODS: A retrospective observational study of adults initiating BV for RRHL from 2011–2015, with ≥6 months of data prior to and following BV initiation, was conducted. Treatments were classified based on dispensations and chemotherapy administration. Median total and monthly costs were estimated based on all-cause healthcare resource use in 2015 US dollars (USD). RESULTS: The cohort comprised 289 patients (59% male; mean age at diagnosis, 42 years) with a mean follow-up of 250 weeks. Eleven percent had BV salvage therapy prior to ASCT, and 32% had BV for a relapse post-ASCT. 43% received treatment post-BV, most commonly allogeneic stem cell transplant (SCT) and bendamustine (both 10.2%). Median (IQR) total costs from BV initiation to censoring were 294,790 (142,110–483,360) USD; and were highest among those treated with BV prior to ASCT (up to 421,900 [300,940–778,970] USD). Median monthly costs were almost 20,000 USD per month, and up to 25,000 USD per month among those with BV and ASCT. Medications were the greatest driver of median monthly costs. CONCLUSIONS: Median total all-cause costs were almost 300,000 USD, and median monthly costs approximately 20,000 USD, per patient treated. Patients requiring treatment following BV continue to incur high costs, highlighting the economic burden associated with managing patients in the RRHL setting.