Déjà vu: DMTs are simply too expensive

Déjà vu: MSologists are having the same problem as our colleagues in oncology with the price of DMTs. #MSBlog #MSResearch

Editorial. Sticker shock. Nature Medicine 19, 653 (2013) doi:10.1038/nm.3244 Published online 06 June 2013

.... A recent plea by oncologists condemning inflated prices for some cancer drugs has ignited a debate on this topic between clinicians and pharmaceutical companies and highlights the need for a broader assessment of drug valuation.....

...... In a recent commentary published in the journal Blood, an international group of more than 100 clinicians and scientists criticized pharmaceutical companies that market costly cancer drugs to treat chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). The authors argued that the prices of six CML drugs have reached unsustainable levels that jeopardize patients' treatments and economic well-being.....

"I have heard similar mutterings from US colleagues."

.....The article has sparked reactions that underscore the complexity of the issue, which encompasses questions of how drug values are determined, where moral boundaries are drawn and what mechanisms can be employed to reduce the divide between commercial interests and patient welfare.....

.... In response to this disparity, some regulatory agencies and insurance companies have refused to approve payment for certain high-cost treatments. In the UK, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) evaluates the cost-effectiveness of drugs that have been approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and issues funding guidance to the National Health Service (NHS). The NHS covers the cost of drugs that NICE approves for a given disease...

..... In the US, medical insurance companies have also refused to reimburse patients for some cancer drugs....

..... Medical expenses are the most frequent cause of personal bankruptcy in the US, and the high cost of drugs is a factor in poor adherence and treatment failure..... 

..... Ultimately, legislation that would allow healthcare agencies to negotiate directly with drug companies or that would cap drug prices might be needed to curtail further cost escalation of cancer treatments. Pharmaceutical companies realize that not everyone can pay for their drugs and have created patient assistance programs, some of them benefiting underdeveloped countries or underprivileged segments of the population.....

 Click here for the full article


"The issue of expensive DMTs has been aired many times on this blog. It is interesting to see that it is not limited to our field. It is clear the status quo is unsustainable. What will be the outcome?"

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