Oops, you're using an old version of your browser so some of the features on this page may not be displaying properly.

MINIMAL Requirements: Google Chrome 24+Mozilla Firefox 20+Internet Explorer 11Opera 15–18Apple Safari 7SeaMonkey 2.15-2.23

Poster session 10

1591P - Development and economic trends in new anticancer therapies licensed in the UK from 2020 to 2024

Date

14 Sep 2024

Session

Poster session 10

Topics

Global Cancer Statistics;  Statistics;  Global Cancer Control

Tumour Site

Presenters

Geetin Majhail

Citation

Annals of Oncology (2024) 35 (suppl_2): S937-S961. 10.1016/annonc/annonc1606

Authors

G. Majhail1, E. Xing2, P. Savage3, J. Krell4, M.P. Lythgoe5

Author affiliations

  • 1 Oncology, Charing Cross Hospital - Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, W6 8RF - London/GB
  • 2 6 Heygate Street, 408 Siddal Apartment, Charing Cross Hospital - Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, W6 8RF - London/GB
  • 3 Oncology, Sussex Cancer Centre - Royal Sussex County Hospital, BN2 5BE - Brighton/GB
  • 4 Oncology, Hammersmith Hospital, W12 0HS - London/GB
  • 5 Medical Oncology Department, Hammersmith Hospital, W12 0HS - London/GB

Resources

Login to get immediate access to this content.

If you do not have an ESMO account, please create one for free.

Abstract 1591P

Background

Novel therapies are transforming cancer care. We have previously shown the substantial rise in the number of new oncology treatments approved in the UK over the past decades. However, UK drug approval has changed substantially following Brexit and faced significant challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is unknown how these factors have affected drug approvals and costs.

Methods

The UK core prescribing book is the British National Formulary (BNF) listing all newly approved drugs. We analysed new therapy additions over a 5-year period, collecting data on classification, indication and median treatment duration. To appreciate costs, we calculated the price per treatment and equated this to the UK GDP per capita.

Results

Between 2020-24, 45 new cancer therapies were approved in the UK, comparing favourably with the previous 5-years, when 46 therapies were approved. The past 10-years (2015-24) has seen 91 new cancer therapies approved; a 78.4% increase compared to the previous 10-years (2005-2014). The past 5-years has witnessed continued transition away from cytotoxic chemotherapy (CC) to targeted therapies. In 2005-09 a third of new therapies were CC drugs, compared to only 6.7% in 2020-24. The majority of new approvals over the last 5-years were kinase inhibitors, accounting for 40% (N=18), followed closely by monoclonal antibodies at 35.6% (N=16). The average median duration of treatment is 438 days, increasing substantially from 318 days in 2015-19 and 263 days in 2010-14. The average monthly treatment cost between 2020-24 is £8286.50, increasing from £5937.43 in 2015-19 and £4090.52 in 2010-14. This equates to a 102.6% growth over 15 years. The average total treatment cost in 2020-24 is £119,325.54, almost double compared to 2015-19 (£62,343). This is equivalent to 361.6% of the UK GDP per capita.

Conclusions

Despite Brexit and the COVID-19 pandemic, the UK has maintained a consistent number of new oncology approvals. A transition away from CC towards targeted therapies is fuelling precision oncology. However, as the median duration of treatment and average cost of new therapies continues to rise they pose ongoing significant challenges.

Clinical trial identification

Editorial acknowledgement

Legal entity responsible for the study

G. Majhail.

Funding

Has not received any funding.

Disclosure

All authors have declared no conflicts of interest.

This site uses cookies. Some of these cookies are essential, while others help us improve your experience by providing insights into how the site is being used.

For more detailed information on the cookies we use, please check our Privacy Policy.

Customise settings
  • Necessary cookies enable core functionality. The website cannot function properly without these cookies, and you can only disable them by changing your browser preferences.