Simoens Steven, Dodwell David, Hartevelt Michael, Lindgren Peter, Pistollato Michele, Pont Lisa, Pontes Caridad, Roediger Alexander, Sablek Antun, Van Ganse Eric, Wang Qinyi, Wenger Chris, Wilsdon Tim, Xoxi Entela, Godman Brian
KU Leuven Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, Leuven, Belgium.
Oxford Population Health, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom.
Front Pharmacol. 2025 Aug 20;16:1532022. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2025.1532022. eCollection 2025.
While progress has been made in oncology treatments, including the introduction of combination therapies, barriers affect patient access. There are approaches that could improve access including combination-specific pricing that allow the price to reflect whether a product is used in monotherapy or in combination. The feasibility of this solution requires data on the utilization of combination therapies.
To investigate the ability of data systems across Belgium, England, France, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and Australia to track drug utilization of combination therapies, particularly in oncology.
A targeted literature review was conducted to investigate the attributes of the key data systems. One-on-one semi-structured interviews were subsequently conducted with country experts to validate the research, who were screened based on their expertise and knowledge of the respective data and reimbursement systems in their countries, followed by an advisory board to align on policy recommendations. Country-specific and cross-border insights were gathered from nine experts across these countries.
There are data systems that routinely collect medicine utilization data across seven European countries and Australia. These datasets can potentially be leveraged to track the utilization of combination therapies. Where available, administrative data systems, such as reimbursement claims data, can be leveraged, though other types of systems, such as product registries, may be more suitable in some countries, emphasizing the need to consider country-specific nuances. Using existing data systems is likely to be less resource-intensive than setting up a novel system for this application. While viable sources of data exist in most countries, many need improving to fully harness their tracking potential. There are several common areas where improvement is needed to track combination therapies effectively. These include data quality, access for different stakeholders, minimizing the burden of data entry and management, and increasing support from national authorities to foster multi-stakeholder engagement.
While most countries possess data systems that could serve as a foundation for tracking combination oncology therapies, these systems require optimization and proper implementation. Our core recommendation is for policymakers to explore the expansion and enhancement of data infrastructures.
尽管肿瘤治疗已取得进展，包括联合疗法的引入，但仍存在影响患者获得治疗的障碍。有一些方法可以改善获得治疗的机会，包括针对联合疗法的定价，使价格能够反映产品是用于单药治疗还是联合治疗。这种解决方案的可行性需要联合疗法使用情况的数据。
调查比利时、英格兰、法国、意大利、西班牙、瑞典、瑞士和澳大利亚的数据系统跟踪联合疗法药物使用情况的能力，特别是在肿瘤学领域。
进行了有针对性的文献综述，以调查关键数据系统的属性。随后与各国专家进行了一对一的半结构化访谈，以验证研究结果，这些专家是根据他们在各自国家对相关数据和报销系统的专业知识筛选出来的，之后召开了一个咨询委员会会议，以确定政策建议。从这些国家的九位专家那里收集了特定国家和跨境的见解。
有数据系统定期收集七个欧洲国家和澳大利亚的药品使用数据。这些数据集有可能被用来跟踪联合疗法的使用情况。在有可用数据的地方，可以利用行政数据系统，如报销申请数据，不过在某些国家，其他类型的系统，如产品登记册，可能更合适，这强调了需要考虑各国的细微差别。使用现有的数据系统可能比为此应用建立一个新系统所需的资源更少。虽然大多数国家都有可行的数据来源，但许多需要改进，以充分发挥其跟踪潜力。要有效跟踪联合疗法，有几个共同的领域需要改进。这些包括数据质量、不同利益相关者的获取、尽量减少数据输入和管理的负担，以及增加国家当局的支持以促进多利益相关者的参与。
虽然大多数国家拥有可作为跟踪肿瘤联合疗法基础的数据系统，但这些系统需要优化和妥善实施。我们的核心建议是政策制定者探索扩大和加强数据基础设施。
