TABLE 1
Cost of CINV and perspective of analysis
Cost
Perspective
Direct healthcare cost reimbursed/
covered by insurance
Society Hospitalisation due to CINV episode
Healthcare services delivered for
antiemetic treatment Cost of healthcare professional
administering antiemetic treatment
Payer (insurance/government) Antiemetic drugs
(only those reimbursed/covered)
Individual patient Antiemetic drugs
(only those not reimbursed/covered)
Adapted from reference 10
sectors, at the individual level, or if
they concern losses of productivity,
emphasises who is sustaining the
cost of treating and managing the
disease. 12
Normally, the perspective
adopted in these economic
studies is the societal one. This
is because the costs incurred to
treat CINV can be borne by several
subjects (for example, patients,
family) in addition to the National
Health Service. Having said that,
it often happens that narrower
perspectives are considered and
in these cases the cost categories
to be included in the analysis can
differ. Table 1 provides further
details on the type of costs
included for each perspective.
46 | 2019 | hospitalpharmacyeurope.com
Most studies focus on the direct
healthcare costs of CINV, whereas
fewer attempts have been made
to estimate non-healthcare direct
costs and productivity losses. In
general, estimates vary greatly
depending on the heterogeneity
of study design and perspectives.
However, in all cases analysed,
studies agree that failure to
effectively treat CINV leads to an
increase in costs of cancer care.
Turini et al calculated costs for
the treatment of severe episodes
of CINV for patients in Italy, France
and Germany. 13 An online survey
addressed to oncologists and
oncology nurses was performed.
The survey included 41 questions
about the management and the