Pharmaceutical cost savings from the treatment of oncology patients in clinical trials

The aim of this study was twofold: to assess the annual pharmaceutical savings associated with the treatment of cancer patients at Marqués de Valdecilla University Hospital and to estimate the cost of innovative antineoplastic therapies that patients receive as experimental treatment, both during clinical trials throughout 2020. An observational and financial analysis of the drug cost related to clinical trials was applied. Direct cost savings to the Regional Health System of Cantabria and the cost of innovative therapies used as an experimental treatment in clinical trials were quantified. This study includes 38 clinical trials with a sample of 101 patients. The clinical trials analyzed provide a total cost savings of €603,350.21 and an average cost saving of €6,630.22 per patient. Furthermore, the total investment amounts to €789,892.67, with an average investment of €15,488.09 per patient. Clinical trials are essential for the advancement of science. Furthermore, clinical trials can be a significant source of income for both hospitals and Regional Health Systems, contributing to their financial sustainability. •This study calculates the pharmaceutical savings and investment associated with the treatment of cancer patients during clinical trials at a referral hospital in northern Spain.•The findings reveal an average cost saving per patient of over €6,000, with total savings in excess of €600,000.•With the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, certain pathologies, such as cancer, may have been neglected. However, in the year 2020 in Spain, 112,741 people died of cancer.•Clinical trials may contribute to existing financial policies to cope with the budget challenge related to the high prices of oncological drugs.