UTILIZATION OF TARLATAMAB AND ASSOCIATED HEALTHCARE RESOURCE USE, COSTS, AND ADVERSE EVENTS: A RETROSPECTIVE COHORT STUDY USING A LARGE U.S. HOSPITAL DATABASE
Author(s)
Chendi Cui, PhD, MS, MBBS , Laura Curry, MS, PhD, Ning An Rosenthal, MPH, PhD, MD.
Premier Applied Sciences, Premier, Inc., Charlotte, NC, USA.
Premier Applied Sciences, Premier, Inc., Charlotte, NC, USA.
OBJECTIVES: Tarlatamab, a bispecific T-cell engager, received accelerated approval by the U.S. FDA on May 16, 2024 for treating extensive-stage small cell lung cancer who have disease progression on or after platinum-based chemotherapy in adults. This study assessed real-world utilization of tarlatamab since its approval and associated healthcare resource use (HCRU), costs, and adverse events.
METHODS: Using the Premier Healthcare Database, this retrospective cohort study included adult patients with lung cancer and no other primary cancer who received tarlatamab between 5/16/2024 and 6/30/2025. Patient and hospital characteristics, HCRU, costs, timely second dosing (defined as a second administration within 14 days of the first dose), 30 day in-hospital mortality, and 30-day risk of cytokine release syndrome (CRS) and immune effector cell associated neurotoxicity syndrome (ICANS) were assessed.
RESULTS: A total of 321 patients were identified. Mean age was 65 years, 57.3% had Medicare as primary insurance, and 55.5% were female. Quarterly trends showed stable use since approval in May 2024. Most patients were treated at large (500+beds, 58.9%), teaching (68.8%) hospitals in urban areas (97.2%). 62.3% received their first dose in an inpatient setting. Mean index cost was $13,214 (SD 18,206) for inpatients and $6,968 (SD 6,424) for outpatients. Among inpatients, mean length of stay was 3.6 days (SD 4.3), and 10.0% required ICU care with a mean ICU stay of 4.0 days. Timely second dosing occurred in 81.3% of patients, with slightly higher rates in outpatient settings (85.1% outpatient vs 79.0% inpatient). 30-day hospital mortality was 4.05%. CRS and ICANS within 30 days occurred in 33.3% and 20.3% of patients, respectively.
CONCLUSIONS: Tarlatamab use has been steady since accelerated approval. Early adoption was mostly in large teaching hospitals in urban areas, suggesting possible access disparities for patients living farther from these centers. Real-world HCRU and safety profile warrants further study with longer follow-up.
METHODS: Using the Premier Healthcare Database, this retrospective cohort study included adult patients with lung cancer and no other primary cancer who received tarlatamab between 5/16/2024 and 6/30/2025. Patient and hospital characteristics, HCRU, costs, timely second dosing (defined as a second administration within 14 days of the first dose), 30 day in-hospital mortality, and 30-day risk of cytokine release syndrome (CRS) and immune effector cell associated neurotoxicity syndrome (ICANS) were assessed.
RESULTS: A total of 321 patients were identified. Mean age was 65 years, 57.3% had Medicare as primary insurance, and 55.5% were female. Quarterly trends showed stable use since approval in May 2024. Most patients were treated at large (500+beds, 58.9%), teaching (68.8%) hospitals in urban areas (97.2%). 62.3% received their first dose in an inpatient setting. Mean index cost was $13,214 (SD 18,206) for inpatients and $6,968 (SD 6,424) for outpatients. Among inpatients, mean length of stay was 3.6 days (SD 4.3), and 10.0% required ICU care with a mean ICU stay of 4.0 days. Timely second dosing occurred in 81.3% of patients, with slightly higher rates in outpatient settings (85.1% outpatient vs 79.0% inpatient). 30-day hospital mortality was 4.05%. CRS and ICANS within 30 days occurred in 33.3% and 20.3% of patients, respectively.
CONCLUSIONS: Tarlatamab use has been steady since accelerated approval. Early adoption was mostly in large teaching hospitals in urban areas, suggesting possible access disparities for patients living farther from these centers. Real-world HCRU and safety profile warrants further study with longer follow-up.
Conference/Value in Health Info
2026-05, ISPOR 2026, Philadelphia, PA, USA
Value in Health, Volume 29, Issue S6
Code
EE41
Topic
Economic Evaluation
Disease
SDC: Oncology