Single Bispecific Antibody Use May Reduce Costs and Streamline Lymphoma Care

Key Clinical Summary

• A mixed-methods analysis found that using one bispecific antibody (bsAb) for both relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and follicular lymphoma (FL) significantly reduced operational burden compared with managing 2 single-indication bsAbs.
• Community practices treating 100 eligible patients annually saved an estimated 3110 staff hours and $525,600 in first-year costs; academic centers saw even greater time and cost savings.
• Efficiencies were driven by streamlined medication onboarding, treatment delivery, insurance coordination, and inventory management.

Using a single bsAb to treat multiple lymphoma indications could substantially reduce administrative burden and generate meaningful cost and time savings for oncology practices, according to a new mixed-methods analysis, according to a study published in Future Oncology.

New bsAbs have emerged as important “off-the-shelf” T-cell–engaging therapies for patients with relapsed or refractory non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). Agents such as glofitamab, mosunetuzumab, and epcoritamab have shown durable responses in DLBCL and FL. However, introducing and managing multiple oncology medications can create operational challenges for practices, including staff training, inventory management, insurance coordination, and drug wastage. 

“This study aimed to quantify the time and cost-savings to US oncology practices from using one bsAb for both relapsed or refractory DLBCL and FL compared with using two separate single-indication bsAbs,” wrote Tara Graff, DO, Mission Cancer + Blood in Des Moines, Iowa, and coauthors.

In the study, researchers used a 3-phase mixed-methods design that combined interviews, a national survey, and economic modeling. First, interviews with 18 oncology practice providers—including hematologist-oncologists, nurses, pharmacists, and practice managers—identified operational tasks that could become more efficient if one bsAb was used across multiple indications. These efficiencies clustered in 4 areas: medication onboarding, treatment planning and delivery, insurance and financial coordination, and medication preparation and inventory management.

Next, a national web-based survey of 105 oncology professionals—including 43 physicians, 42 advanced practice providers or nurses, and 20 pharmacists—quantified the time required for these tasks and estimated the efficiency gains when using a single bsAb. Participants represented geographically diverse practices across the US, with 62% working in academic centers and 38% in community practices. Most respondents reported experience with advanced therapies, including CAR T and bsAbs.

The researchers then used these survey results in an economic model to estimate the operational impact of practices treating 100 eligible patients with relapsed or refractory DLBCL or FL. In community practices, replacing 2 separate drugs with one bsAb resulted in estimated first-year time savings of 3110 hours, which includes 27.7 hours per medication onboarded, 4.03 hours per new prescription, and 1.8 to 2.2 hours per treatment administration. Time savings were even greater in academic centers, and saved 10 626 hours annually, due to more complex institutional processes.

When monetized using US wage data, time efficiencies translated to $278 013 in annual savings for a community practice, or about $2643 per patient. Additional direct financial savings from bulk-purchasing discounts and reduced drug wastage totaled $247 587, bringing the total estimated first-year savings to $525 600 (about $5118 per patient). Academic practices achieved even larger projected savings of $1.21 million, while combined networks of academic and community sites saved roughly $962 886.

“Use of bsAbs that are indicated for both DLBCL and FL can result in more efficient oncology practice operations, resulting in considerable time- and cost-savings for an oncology practice,” concluded the study authors.

Reference

Graff T, Bains Chawla S, Jun M, et al. Operational efficiencies of using one vs multiple bispecific antibodies for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and follicular lymphoma in the US. Future Oncol. 2026;22(6):719-727. doi:10.1080/14796694.2026.2636559