To evaluate the safety and efficacy of
lenograstim, a new recombinant human
granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (rHuG-CSF), as an adjunct to
cancer chemotherapy, 3 phase III randomised clinical trials were recently conducted in Europe in patients with
inflammatory breast cancer,
non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, and
small cell lung cancer. To explore the economic implications of
lenograstim therapy, a multinational pharmacoeconomics programme was undertaken using data collected during these clinical trials. This programme consisted of concurrent prospective economic evaluations undertaken by study teams in France (
non-Hodgkin's lymphoma), Germany and Italy (a combined evaluation in
inflammatory breast cancer) and the UK (
small cell lung cancer). In these studies, attention was focused on the direct costs of medical care-principally the costs of
cancer chemotherapy as well as its associated morbidity. In 2 of the pharmacoeconomic evaluations (i.e. the French, German/Italian),
lenograstim was found to generate cost savings as a result of reductions in morbidity associated with
chemotherapy. However, the cost of
lenograstim therapy would be likely to exceed these savings, leading to an overall increase in the costs of
cancer treatment. Whether the use of
lenograstim is cost-effective will therefore largely depend on its impact on patient survival and quality of life, and current practical use. These issues are the focus of additional clinical studies currently underway. In addition, new research is focusing on the clinical benefits of
lenograstim in other areas of oncology and haematology. Further pharmacoeconomic studies in these areas are also warranted.