Treatment Patterns and Medication Adherence Among Patients Diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma and Treated with Panobinostat

Abstract

Aim: To examine real-world treatment patterns in multiple myeloma (MM) patients treated with panobinostat. Materials & methods: Using a US claims database, MM patients treated with panobinostat during 02/01/2015–01/31/2017 were evaluated. Lines of therapy, combination regimens, dosing and duration were measured. Results: Ninety-five patients were included (mean age: 61.4 years). Patients were heavily pretreated, with 88.4% exposed to both a proteasome inhibitor and an immunomodulatory agent. A panobinostat containing regimen was started in the fourth or more (86%) lines of therapy within a median of 3.77 years from initial treatment. The most common treatment combination was bortezomib/dexamethasone/panobinostat (31.6%) with 69.5% receiving the recommended dose (20 mg). Mean duration was 98.8 days. Conclusion: Patients received the recommended dose, most commonly with bortezomib and dexamethasone. Panobinostat was used in heavily pretreated patients within 4 years post-diagnosis, reflecting an advanced MM population.

Keywords::

• adherence
• multiple myeloma
• outcomes research
• panobinostat
• real-world evidence
• treatment patterns

Financial & competing interests disclosure

A Gilligan, D Stetsovsky, H Varker, B Davis and M Bonafede are employees of Truven Health Analytics, an IBM Company, which was paid by Novartis for the development of this manuscript. M Bhor, L Eldjerou, A Urniasz and D Globe are employees of Novartis. This study was sponsored by Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, Oncology, NJ, USA. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

Writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript. Editorial/medical writing support for this manuscript was provided by J Margolis (Truven Health Analytics).

Ethical conduct of research

Ethics approval and participant consent was not necessary as this study involved the use of a previously published deidentified database in accordance with US patient confidentiality requirements set forth in Sections 164.514 (a)–(b)1ii of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) regarding the determination and documentation of statistically deidentified data.

Additional information

Funding

A Gilligan, D Stetsovsky, H Varker, B Davis and M Bonafede are employees of Truven Health Analytics, an IBM Company, which was paid by Novartis for the development of this manuscript. M Bhor, L Eldjerou, A Urniasz and D Globe are employees of Novartis. This study was sponsored by Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, Oncology, NJ, USA. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed. Writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript. Editorial/medical writing support for this manuscript was provided by J Margolis (Truven Health Analytics).