[Ip-health] Breast Cancer Action Says Two New Drug Pricing Studies Miss the Mark

[Joana Ramos]

http://www.bcaction.org/Pages/GetInformed/PressReleases/PR062607.html

June 26, 2007

Breast Cancer Action Says Two New Drug Pricing Studies Miss the Mark

San Francisco, CA=97Breast Cancer Action (BCA) today expressed grave
concerns about two new studies that purport to justify the exorbitantly
high price of breast cancer drugs.

One of the studies looked at Herceptin=97a drug that costs upwards of
$40,000 a year. The other study looked at Aromasin=97an aromatase
inhibitor that costs more than $3000 per year in the United States.

Both studies measured =93cost effectiveness=94 in terms of the number of
years each drug prolonged life, combined with the quality of life. This
=93cost effectiveness=94 measure was used to estimate the cost of the drugs
over a patient=92s lifetime. Based on this equation, researchers said the
=93effective=94 cost of the drugs was much less than the actual purchase pr=
ice.

But BCA says that the =93effective=94 cost is a meaningless concept to
individual breast cancer patients, and points out that both studies were
funded and=97in the case of the Herceptin study partially staffed=97by the
companies that make the drugs.

=93The bottom line is that Herceptin still costs at least $40,000 a year
in the United States,=94 says BCA Executive Director Barbara A. Brenner.
=93The cost of these cancer drugs will not be reduced to reflect the
=91effective cost=92 detailed in these studies. The =91projected lifetime
costs=92 are meaningless to patients who have to pay for these drugs today.=
=94

Brenner also points out that studies like these will prove most useful
for pharmaceutical companies by encouraging insurance firms to pay the
very high prices the drug companies are charging.

The fact that these drugs cost thousands of dollars is more evidence of
the need for the United States to work toward a universal health care
system that would allow the government to negotiate with pharmaceutical
companies for lower drug prices.

Breast Cancer Action (www. bcaction.org) is a national grassroots
education and advocacy organization that carries the voices of people
affected by breast cancer to inspire and compel the changes necessary to
end the breast cancer epidemic.

Since 1998, BCA has refused to accept funds from corporations that may
create a real or apparent conflict of interest for BCA. Corporations
covered by this policy include pharmaceutical companies.

Contact:

Mary DeLucco
Breast Cancer Action
(415) 243-9301 ext. 16



-----
Joana Ramos, MSW
Cancer Resources & Advocacy
Seattle WA USA
Tel. +1-206-229-2420
http://ramoslink.info/
www.cancersurvivorsproject.org
www.healthyskepticism.org