OBJECTIVES: Determine the costs associated with rituximab intravenous (iv) preparation and administration in follicular non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) and estimate the difference versus rituximab subcutaneous (sc) formulation, considering material resources (MR) consumption and healthcare professionals (HCP) time spent in each procedure. Patient’s and chair time savings in hospital Day Care Unit (DCU) were also estimated. METHODS: Rituximab iv data was collected, between November 2012 and January 2013, through face to face interviews with pharmacists and DCU nurses responsible for the preparation and administration in each hospital. The HCP time cost was calculated by multiplying their income per hour by the average time spent on each procedure; MR costs were determined based in official databases or in “table values” provided by the manufacturers. Rituximab sc administration time was based in the respective pivotal clinical trial - SABRINA (BO22334). RESULTS: Ten hospitals from mainland Portugal were included, with a weekly average of 7 NHL patients treated with rituximab iv. The HCP average overall active time spent with rituximab iv preparation and administration, per treatment cycle, was about 89 minutes versus 16 minutes estimated for sc. An average overall cost reduction of 93% was estimated with sc versus iv (3€ versus 45€, respectively). DCU chair time capacity could be increased by 3 and 7 fold if one considers combination or maintenance therapy, respectively, with rituximab sc versus iv, due to SC much faster administration. Rituximab sc reduces the overall time patients spend in an infusion chair by 95% (7 min with sc versus143 min with iv). CONCLUSIONS: Rituximab sc formulation potentially offers significant resource (material and HCP time) savings, improves hospital organization and provides clear benefits for patients regarding time saved and administration convenience. Ultimately, rituximab sc increases hospital efficiency that’s critical in the current economic climate.