Utilization and trends of BRAF and MEK inhibitors among Medicare D patients: 2013-2021.

Abstract

e13581 Background: BRAF and MEK Inhibitors are selective anti-cancer medications that induce programmed cell death by targeting the BRAF/MEK pathway. BRAF and MEK were first approved in 2011 and 2013 respectively for the treatment of BRAF-mutated melanoma that include the V600E or V600K melanoma mutants. As additional BRAF/MEK inhibitors were introduced, scant data exists on national prescribing patterns and the goal was to examine this. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted using the Medicare Part D Prescriber datasets from 2013-2021. Data from BRAF (vemurafenib, dabrafenib, encorafenib) and MEK Inhibitors (trametinib, cobimetinib, binimetinib) prescriptions made by any healthcare providers were analyzed. Yearly claims per 100,000 beneficiaries, total drug costs, and total drug supply days were recorded. Compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) was calculated. Results: From 2013-2021, there was an 911% increase in the number of BRAF/MEK prescribers to Medicare Part D enrollees who made ≥11 claims. Majority of the prescribers were hematologists/oncologists. The highest proportion of claims and beneficiaries receiving BRAF/MEK inhibitors each year were those >65 years of age and located in the South. An increased CAGR was seen for yearly claims per 100,000 beneficiaries (CAGR=31%), total drug costs (CAGR=40%), and total drug supply days (CAGR=36%). Conclusions: BRAF/MEK Inhibitor use has seen significant growth across all healthcare providers in claims made per 100k beneficiaries, total drug costs, and total drug supply days. These findings show that the access to BRAK/MEK inhibitor is increasing and as it receives indications for other malignancies, additional studies will be needed to assess whether these trends persist or change, especially in setting of increased use of immunotherapy in melanoma.