Objectives: Bevacizumab is commonly used to treat solid tumors. However, little is known about the manner and the extent to which bevacizumab biosimilars are utilized in real-world oncology practice in the United States. The objective of this study was to describe patient and provider characteristics and treatment patterns associated with the recently introduced bevacizumab-bvzr biosimilar.
Study design: Retrospective cohort study.
Methods: A retrospective analysis of medical and pharmacy claims between January 24, 2019, and July 31, 2020, was performed. Adult patients with at least 1 claim indicating usage of bevacizumab-bvzr were included. Patients who could not be assigned to an applicable diagnosis group were excluded. Index treatment date was defined as the date of the first claim for bevacizumab-bvzr. Descriptive analysis was conducted for all study variables.
Results: A total of 206 patients were included; patients most often were 65 years or older (49.5%), were female (62.6%), and resided in the West (45.1%). The most common indications observed for bevacizumab-bvzr were metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC; 51.0%), cancer of the female genital organs (CFGO; 27.2%), glioblastoma (11.2%), and non-small cell lung cancer (8.7%). Overall, 72.4% and 48.2% of patients with mCRC and CFGO, respectively, had switched to bevacizumab-bvzr from the reference drug or another bevacizumab biosimilar. Bevacizumab-bvzr was used in chemotherapy combination regimens for patients with mCRC and CFGO.
Conclusions: Utilization was observed in extrapolated indications. Findings suggest that both switching between reference product and bevacizumab biosimilars and using bevacizumab-bvzr as part of chemotherapy combination regimens have been adopted in US oncology practice.