Policies influencing access to new targeted oncologic drugs in Ecuadorian hospitals: an interrupted time series analysis

Objective and methods: An interrupted time series analysis was performed to measure the impact of two policy interventions on the accessibility to new targeted oncologic drugs in Ecuador. The first intervention decentralized the selection process allowing drug and therapeutic committees (DTCs) to directly select new drugs. The second brought back the final decision to a central body but kept the first decision level in hospitals. Five-year (2010-2014) individual dispensing data from the six largest Ecuadorian cancer hospitals were analysed. Monthly incidence rate of targeted oncologic drug users (per 1000 cancer patients) was defined as the unit of analysis. Level and slope changes after policy interventions were studied; P value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Key findings: In public hospitals, incidence rate immediately dropped (level) after the first policy intervention (P < 0.05). The slope increased not significantly until the second policy. After the second intervention, the incidence level dropped, and the slope was negative (both not significant). In private hospitals, the incidence level dropped significantly after the first policy, followed by a significant slope increase. After the second intervention, the incidence level dropped, and the slope was negative (both significant). Conclusions: Transferring to DTCs the responsibility to select new drugs produced an increase in prescription intensity of targeted oncologic drugs, mainly in the private sector. The second intervention changed this trend. Combination of different levels of decision, meaning a DTC analysis plus a reanalysis by a central body, seems to limit new prescriptions of targeted oncologic drugs.