Using One Bispecific Antibody to Treat R/R DLBCL and FL Can Potentially Reduce Staff Time and Care Costs
Key Takeaways
- Epcoritamab is the only drug approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat both relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (R/R DLBCL) and follicular lymphoma (FL). A survey was conducted to determine the potential time and cost savings of using a single bispecific antibody for both disease states.
- The survey consisted of 105 US medical professionals from a range of practice settings. The results were based on 1 year of treating 100 patients with DLBCL/FL.
- Experts estimated that a total of 7826 hours would be saved for physicians and providers. This number was calculated after determining how much time would be saved onboarding medication, writing prescriptions, and completing administrative duties.
- The survey estimated a total reduction of $962 886 in care costs, with cost-savings impacting patients, providers, and practices. Patients would save money on prescriptions, practices would save on operations, and pharmacies would save on medication purchasing.
A survey was distributed to 105 US oncology professionals to determine the potential cost-saving benefit of using a single bispecific antibody to treat patients with R/R DLBCL and FL. Epcoritamab is the only FDA-approved bispecific antibody to treat both R/R DLBCL and FL, and the authors hypothesized that using epcoritamab as a single therapy for both disease states can lead to significant reductions in staff time, care costs, and resource utilization.
Out of the 105 participants, 43 (41%) were physicians, 42 (40%) were advanced practice providers or nurses, and 20 (19%) were pharmacists. Experts worked in a wide range of medical settings, with 62% in academic organizations, 26% in community institutes, and 12% in private practice. The results are based on treatment for 100 patients with DLBCL/FL who are eligible for bispecific antibodies.
Savings on Time and Money
The survey estimated that using epcoritamab to treat both R/R DLBCL and FL would save a total of 7826 hours in the first year of use. Participants figured that practices would save 20.67 hours per medication onboarded, 7.37 hours per new patient prescription, 5.35 hours per DLBCL administration, 5.26 hours per FL administration, and 6.21 hours monthly in reimbursement support and inventory management. Using a single bispecific antibody represents a substantial relief in time and workload for providers.
The survey also determined that this treatment method would result in significant cost reductions. For 100 patients with DLBCL/FL, total cost savings are estimated to be $962 886. The breakdown is as follows: survey participants hypothesize that $2246 would be saved for every medication onboarded, $635 per new patient prescription, $491 for every DLBCL administration, $483 per FL administration, and $630 every month for ongoing operations. This leads to a total monetized time savings of $715 300. Additionally, $192 501 would be saved on bulk purchasing and $55 086 on reduced medical waste.
Clinical Impact
This survey and its results are hypothetical, so real-life research is needed to prove the theories discussed in this article. Using epcoritamab to treat both R/R DLBCL and FL can greatly reduce staff time and care costs as opposed to using 2 different bispecific antibodies.
The authors said, “This approach reduces complexity across clinical, educational, administrative, and procurement workflows, supporting a more streamlined, resource-efficient care model.”
Reference
Graff T, Chawla SB, Jun M, et al. Operational efficiencies and cost savings of using one bispecific antibody FDA-approved for both R/R 3L+ DLBCL and FL. Blood. 2025;146(1):7942. doi:10.1182/blood-2025-7942
