OBJECTIVES: According to the ASPECCT trial, Panitumumab was found to be non-inferior to Cetuximab with similar overall survival in the management of Wild Type (WT) KRAS Metastatic Colorectal Cancer (mCRC). The objective of this study was to economically compare Panitumumab (Vectibix™) versus Cetuximab (Erbitux™) at Nasr City Cancer Center (NCCC), Cairo, Egypt, 2018.

METHODS: A budget impact analysis was conducted for comparing therapy with either Panitumumab or Cetuximab for mCRC patients with (WT) KRAS.The dosing regimen was calculated based on the usual weight and height (70 Kg and 170 cm, respectively). According to the ASPECCT trial, the dose of Panitumumab is 6 mg/kg biweekly and that of Cetuximab is LD 400 mg /m² then MD 250 mg/m² weekly. Schedule of efficacy assessment was routinely pre-planned every three months from the start of therapy. Total costs were calculated for the duration of therapy for each drug. Besides, the cost savings per patient were estimated. Annual projected cost savings per patient were estimated.The number of patients predicted to be treated with either drug in 2018 was 50 patients.All prices were expressed in Egyptian Pound (EGP).

RESULTS: For the three months of duration of therapy, the approximately calculated total doses were 2500 mg and 6100 mg for Panitumumab and Cetuximab, respectively. Besides, the total estimated costs for Panitumumab and Cetuximab were 67,500 EGP and 103,700 EGP, respectively. The cost savings per patient were 36,200 EGP per three months of therapy. For the proposed 50 patients, the cost savings were estimated to be 1,810,000 EGP. The annual projected cost savings per patient were 144,800 EGP. And for the 50 patients, the annual projected cost savings were 7,240,000 EGP.

CONCLUSIONS: It was concluded that Panitumumab (Vectibix™) had a positive impact on the budget as it was found to be more superior to Cetuximab (Erbitux™) in terms of cost savings.