• Nicole M Engel-Nitz, Mary G Johnson, Michael P Johnson, Ashley S Cha-Silva, Samantha K Kurosky, and Xianchen Liu.
• Optum, Eden Prairie, MN, 55344, USA.
• Patient Prefer Adher. 2023 Jan 1; 17: 104910621049-1062.

PurposeTo assess adherence and persistence with palbociclib therapy in patients with HR+/HER2- metastatic breast cancer (mBC) in a US real-world setting.MethodsThis retrospective study evaluated palbociclib dosing, adherence, and persistence using commercial and Medicare Advantage with Part D claims data from the Optum Research Database. Adult patients with mBC who had continuous enrollment 12 months prior to mBC diagnosis and initiated first-line palbociclib with aromatase inhibitor (AI) or fulvestrant between 02/03/2015 and 12/31/2019 were included. Demographic and clinical characteristics, palbociclib dosing and dose changes, adherence (medication possession ratio [MPR]), and persistence were measured. Adjusted logistic and Cox regression models were used to examine demographic and clinical factors associated with adherence and discontinuation.ResultsPatients (n = 1066) with a mean age of 66 years were included; 76.1% received first-line palbociclib+AI and 23.9% palbociclib+fulvestrant. Most patients (85.7%) initiated palbociclib at 125 mg/day. Of the 34.0% of patients with a dose reduction, 82.6% reduced from 125 to 100 mg/day. Overall, 80.0% of patients were adherent (MPR), and 38.3% discontinued palbociclib during a mean (SD) follow-up of 16.0 (11.2) and 17.4 (13.4) months, for palbociclib+fulvestrant and palbociclib+AI, respectively. Annual income below $75,000 was significantly associated with poor adherence. Older age (age 65-74 years (hazard ratio [HR] 1.57, 95% CI, 1.06, 2.33), age ≥75 years (HR 1.61, 95% CI: 1.08, 2.41)) and bone-only metastatic disease (HR 1.37, 95% CI, 1.06, 1.76) were significantly associated with palbociclib discontinuation.ConclusionIn this real-world study, >85% of patients started palbociclib at 125 mg/day and 1 in 3 had dose reductions during the follow-up. Patients were generally adherent and persistent with palbociclib. Older age, bone-only disease, and low-income levels were associated with early discontinuation or non-adherence. Further studies are needed to understand the associations of clinical and economic outcomes with palbociclib adherence and persistence.© 2023 Engel-Nitz et al.

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