Perspectives
Botox® is not the only botulinum toxin (BT), just the most expensive
Potential $6 million savings if plans switch from Botox® to lower-cost BT therapies
March 21, 2020Study shows the potential for more than $6 million savings if plans switch from high-cost Botox® to lower-cost BT therapies to treat certain neurologic conditions
Prime analyzed health care claims from 15 million commercially insured members and found 58,000 BT claims totaling more than $76 million in 2018 (Migraine treatments accounted for 60 percent of the Botox spend). Besides migraines, the BT drug class treats three movement disorders – cervical dystonia (CD), limb spasticity (LS) and blepharospasm (BS). Botox has the highest cost of four drugs in the BT class, and accounted for 93 percent of BT spend. Other drugs in the BT drug class (like Abobotulinumtoxin A and Incobotulinumtoxin A) are priced between one-quarter and one-third less than Botox.
Prime’s ability to study medical claims found that shifting treatments from Botox to the equally effective, lower cost BT therapies would save an estimated $6.3 million annually. Because BT is administered in the doctor’s office, the study evaluated and found the timing of doses was not different between the BT products. Therefore, the number of expected administration visits would not increase if switching to a different BT product.
Related news
Perspectives
March 30, 2023
Drug oversupply, or stockpiling, due to overlapping drug refills can cause unnecessary drug costs
If you have a chronic condition, your pharmacy may notify you advance of…
Perspectives
March 28, 2023
Biosimilars are at the door, Part 3
News about biosimilars is everywhere. Sometimes you just need the basics. This four-part…
Perspectives
March 27, 2023
Specialty Drug Pipeline Update: March 2023
This monthly pipeline wrap-up provides a review of newly approved specialty drugs, recent…