THERAPEUTIC AND ECONOMIC BENEFITS OF A CENTRALIZED UNIT FOR CYTOSTATIC DRUGS PROCESSING

Cancer is a global problem. However, in low-income and developing countries, the expenditures associated with its treatment are increasing disproportionately with resources available. Hence, reducing the drug wastage and financial burden placed on patients, family and society in general is becoming imperative. Our aim was to calculate therapeutic and economic benefits derived by the use of a centralized unit, which allows residual amounts of unused drugs to be reused by patients whose treatments are elaborated in the same working day. We calculated in a comprehensive manner the number of spared vials (flasks) for seven drugs generated from residual amounts of the same working day and, its consequent therapeutic and/or economic benefits. We did not take into account prescribed drug dosages that fitted exactly with doses contained in a vial. Over a six month period, there were: a total of 1524. 07 saved vials with an approximate consequent therapeutic benefit of 123.57 patients and, considering the price of the centralized unit, a total economic benefit of approximately 134, 348 (€), for a total of 6558 prescriptions and a total of 1180 patients. The economic benefit represents 6.2 percent of the cytostatic drugs budget for 2015. Our analysis confirms that how a relatively simple policy of drug waste reduction, due to a centralized unit of cytostatic drugs processing, gives consequent therapeutic and economic benefits. The centralized unit increases also the drug traceability from preparation to patient