Retrospective cross-sectional study of drug utilisation and expenditure of anticancer drugs at zonal referral hospital central, Tanzania.

BackgroundEnsuring the widespread availability and accessibility of anticancer medications is crucial. This aligns with the World Health Organization's recommendation to achieve a coverage of over 80%.ObjectiveThis study aimed to analyse anticancer procurement data to identify utilisation patterns and expenditures, aiding future planning and investment in oncology pharmacy services. The findings can enhance resource allocation, ensuring better availability and accessibility for patient care.MethodologyThe retrospective cross-sectional descriptive study meticulously examined procurement, prescribing, and dispensing records at Benjamin Mkapa Hospital (BMH).ResultsThe expenses linked to anticancer medications have markedly escalated, experiencing successive increases of 5.74%, 16.12%, 24.10%, and 17.73% in 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023, respectively. Notably, Bevacizumab, Rituximab, Trastuzumab, Docetaxel, Paclitaxel and Goserelin (3.6 mcg) were the most frequently utilised anticancer medications, accounting for over 64% of total drug dispensation from 2020 to 2023. Concurrently, the availability of essential anticancer treatments significantly improved, rising from 54% in 2020 to 84% in 2022 and 2023. Over the four-year period (2020-2023), anticancer drugs comprised a mere 2.8% (580 out of 20,542) of all prescriptions, predominantly for patients aged 46 and above, with 85% covered by health insurance. Breast, prostate, and stomach cancers stood out as the most prevalent, representing over 40%, 30%, and 5% of all reported cases, respectively.ConclusionThe oncology pharmacy department at BMH improved anticancer drug availability from 54% to 84% over four years, primarily treating breast, prostate, and stomach cancers with Taxane and ACT regimens.