It’s called “off-label” use: a drug is prescribed to treat one condition, even though the FDA has approved it to fight another. The drug may work for the patient, but until it’s proven to do so clinically, insurance companies may be hesitant to pay. As a new generation of cancer drugs breaks pre-existing price barriers while allowing patients to live longer than ever before, a complicated question looms ahead: can patients afford the hundreds of thousands of dollars that it may cost to save their lives?
California Connected talks to an insurance company, a drug manufacturer and a bioethicist as we follow one patient desperate to live, but facing the crushing debt he may incur in the process.
Update February 22, 2006
Neal Almgren is no longer being treated with the combination of Avastin and CPT-11. He discontinued their use after the CPT-11 caused him to develop an ulcer and he subsequently found that the Avastin alone was not keeping the tumor in check.
He is now back on chemotherapy and is being treated with a different, more traditional drug, his thirteenth to date - VP-16. The tumor is once again receding, however, much damage remains to be overcome and Neal continues to struggle with that.
The Genentech drug Avastin was in the news recently: The San Francisco Chronicle reported that it has proved effective in clinical studies at combating certain types of brain cancer.
- National Cancer Institute
- Guide to Cancer Drugs, American Cancer Society
- Avastin information, U.S. FDA/Center for Drug Evaluation and Research
- Genentech
- Pfizer, manufacturer of Camptosar (CPT-11)
- National Brain Tumor Foundation
- “A Cancer Drug Shows Promise, at a Price That Many Can’t Pay”, The New York Times
- “In Fight for Life, Insurer No Help”, The San Francisco Chronicle
- “A Cancer Drug’s Big Price Rise Is Cause for Concern”, The New York Times
Listen to the commentary
June 4th, 2006 at 4:14 pm
We’d Better Get Over It. I know, I could use more “softening statements” and so forth, and cancer is a sensitive and emotional subject. But there’s no denying that cancer is a very expensive disease to get, because we have more drug options that allow cancer patients to live longer. There’s also no denying that companies have invested heavily to bring many of these cancer drugs to market. And yes, marketing is also involved. How else would patients know about many of these targeted therapies, at least one of which has been in the spotlight for problems with access to the drug? Recently my local PBS channel did a segment on off-label cancer drug use and highlighted a brain cancer patient who fought with his insurance company to cover one of these new therapies at tens of thousands of dollars a course. The segment also interviewed both the drug company’s executive who was unapologetic about the cost of the drug (and I agree that companies that take the risk to gamble on drug development should garner some reward, although I don’t know at what price) and an ethicist employed by the insurance company that has the “pharma’s too greedy” point of view. ASCO Symposia Abstract.
August 10th, 2006 at 4:04 pm
I just want to say, that I am very upset with the fact that these drugs for cancer, were not funded by those so called doctors. It was funded by grants and donations put up by the public. Now they have a cure that we can’t afford. What a shame. Is this how they value life? These people are worst than the Gov’t. All they want is MONEY! They don’t really care about the people and their health. This is called; population control, money control and medicine control. If they cured everyone, the medical people would go broke and the earth would overflow with people. Why have a cure, if no one can afford the damn thing anyway? What’s wrong with this picture? It seems we are always looking for cures for something, but once we find the cure…..no one can afford it anyway.
STOP the grants and the donation for ALL medical places that are looking for cures!!!!!!
Just like the Gov’t, all they want is, control, control, control and give nothing back to the people.
Upset.
Michael J