The potential of individualized dosing of ravulizumab to improve patient-friendliness of paroxysmal nocturnal haemoglobinuria treatment at reduced costs

Br J Clin Pharmacol. 2021 Aug;87(8):3359-3363. doi: 10.1111/bcp.14748. Epub 2021 Feb 23.

Abstract

Ravulizumab is a very expensive complement C5-inhibitor for the treatment of paroxysmal nocturnal haemoglobinuria, with a fixed-dosing interval of 8 weeks. For lifelong treatment, a cost-effective and patient-friendly dosing strategy is preferred. We therefore explored alternative ravulizumab dosing regimens in silico based on the thorough dose-finding studies of the manufacturer. Extending the interval to 10 weeks or individually extending the interval to a mean of 12.8 weeks based on pharmacokinetic monitoring resulted in noninferior efficacy in terms of lactate dehydrogenase normalization, with drug cost savings up to 37%. We here show the potential of individualized ravulizumab dosing to improve patient-friendliness at reduced costs.

Keywords: paroxysmal nocturnal haemoglobinuria; pharmacodynamics; pharmacokinetics; ravulizumab.

MeSH terms

  • Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized
  • Complement Inactivating Agents
  • Cost-Benefit Analysis
  • Hemoglobinuria, Paroxysmal* / drug therapy
  • Humans

Substances

  • Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized
  • Complement Inactivating Agents
  • ravulizumab