High-touch service.

Alternative drug recommendation results in saving over $79,500 for a patient’s treatment.

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Challenge

Reduce cost for treatment.

A physician prescribed Sprycel® to treat a patient with chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML). Spycel is classified as a specialty medication and costs $14,542 for a 30-day supply.

Solution

Our PharmD researched therapeutic alternatives and discovered that according to National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines, Imatinib (generic Gleevec) is also classified as Category 1 treatment for patients with low-risk CML. IPM then notified the prescriber who agreed with the recommendation to switch to Imatinib 400 mg daily at a cost of $7,917 for a 30-day supply.

Result

While equally effective as Sprycel, Imatinib is less expensive and saved the employer $6,625 per month or $79,500 annually.