The therapy using molecular-targeted (MTT) and monoclonal antibodies (MA) are examples of new therapeutic technologies in search of greater clinical effectiveness and reduction of adverse effects in the fight against frequent diseases. Generally, new technologies have a high cost impact on the health system. The objective of this study was to evaluate the financial impact generated by the use of MTT and MA therapies in the teaching Hospital de Clínicas, Porto Alegre, Brazil.

The first 60 higher monetary spending drug items of the last 12 months were analyzed. From them, drugs which fit in the categories under study, and have been regularly used, were identified. The monthly expenditures with each item were tabulated and compared with the total expenditures on drugs, in order to calculate the budgetary impact. The major groups of diseases treated with each agent were analyzed.

Two MTT agents (gefitinib and infliximab) and three MAs (rituximab, basiliximab and abciximab) were identified. The highest expenditure items, respectively, per year, were the oncological medicines rituximab (USD127,890) and gefitinib (USD96,923), followed by the immunosuppressive basiliximab (USD88,998) and the immunomodulatory infliximab (USD68,642), and the platelet aggregation inhibitor abciximab (USD47,886). These values corresponding to, respectively, 1.1 percent, 0.8 percent, 0.8 percent, 0.6 percent and 0.4 percent of total drug expenditure per year (USD11,866,124). Trastuzumab, bortezomib and imatinib were often used, but directly supplied by the public system, in a way that didn't impact the hospital budgetary management.

MTT and MA have an important impact on health budgets, and are mainly used to treat some types of cancer, cardiovascular disease and autoimmune disorders. These aspects should be considered in the management of drugs in hospitals of high complexity.