Huntington SF, et al. - Given that brentuximab vedotin (BV) in combination with doxorubicin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine (AVD+BV) reduced the risk of progression in adults with a diagnosis of stage III or IV Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) vs standard bleomycin-containing chemotherapy (doxorubicin, bleomycin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine [ABVD]) in a recent randomized, open-label trial (ECHELON-1), researchers assessed the costs and clinical outcomes for AVD+BV vs ABVD as first-line therapy in a cohort of patients with stage III or IV HL. They found that substituting BV for bleomycin during first-line therapy for stage III or IV HL seemed not to be cost effective under current drug pricing. A 56% to 73% reduction in the acquisition costs for BV used in the first-line setting would be required for incremental cost-effectiveness ratios of $150,000 to $100,000 per quality-adjusted life-years (QALY), respectively, if indication-specific pricing were implemented.