Optimising Avastin Usage: Reducing Wastage and Enhancing Cost-saving
Care Process & Redesign
Environmental Sustainability
Singapore Healthcare Management Congress
SingHealth
11 February 2026
To optimise Avastin usage, reduce wastage, and improve cost-effectiveness while maintaining treatment availability. The Avastin optimisation project successfully reduced medication wastage and improved financial efficiency, serving as a model for.
Year Submitted: 2025
Published Date: 11 February 2026
Tags: Care Process ＆ Redesign, Environmental Sustainability, Pharmaceutical Waste, Lean Methodology, Quality Improvement, Productivity, Cost Saving
About this Content
Aims
To optimise Avastin usage, reduce wastage, and improve cost-effectiveness while maintaining treatment availability.
Background
Since 2008, SNEC has used Bevacizumab (Avastin) off-label for intravitreal injections. The inclusion of Lucentis in the MOH Standard List 2 in January 2022 caused a shift in prescribing patterns, leading to increased wastage of compounded syringes.
Methods
A Fishbone Diagram was used to identify factors contributing to wastage. Changes were implemented using the Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) model in three stages: reducing compounded syringes, switching to smaller vials, and implementing ad-hoc compounding based on demand.
Results
A 96.35% reduction in wastage was achieved, with cost savings of $87,653.20.
Conclusion
The Avastin optimisation project successfully reduced medication wastage and improved financial efficiency, serving as a model for healthcare institutions.
Lessons Learnt
Adaptive strategies and simple process adjustments can significantly enhance operational efficiency without compromising patient care quality.
Additional Information
The project aligns with broader healthcare sustainability goals and demonstrates the potential for replicability in other contexts.
This project was conferred the Merit Award for Operations Category at SHMC 2025.
Keywords
Syringe Use, Medication Wastage
Innovators' Details
Innovators' Details
Healthcare Cluster(s) | SingHealth |
Organization(s) Involved | Singapore National Eye Centre |
Platform(s) | Singapore Healthcare Management Congress |
Healthcare Professional Group(s) | Nursing, Pharmacy |
Applicable Specialty or Discipline | Ophthalmology |
Project Lead(s) | Victor Tan Chong Lip |
Project Member(s) | Zachary Choy Yan Kit |
Connect with this contributor!
Singapore Healthcare Management Conference (SHMC) Secretariat - singaporehealthcaremanagement@singhealth.com.sg
Project Attachment
1130_SNEC_SHM 2025_Optimising Avastin Usage Reducing Wastage and Enhancing Cost-saving.pdf