And thus another example of letting health costs run rampant:
The rise in cancer-drug prices is a microcosm of broader trends pushing up health care costs nationally. Despite decades of efforts by governments and insurers to restrain costs, patients continue to want the newest “” and most expensive “” drugs and medical devices. And doctors and the health care industry have little reason to keep costs in check, because insurers rarely deny coverage for new treatments on the basis of price.
Related posts:
- Do Americans really want health care reform?
- Companies to fight insurers
- Medicare covers more cancer drugs, did they cave in to the pharmaceutical lobby?
- Cost or access: Choose one or the other
- "Organized medicine appears powerless"
- Will banning drug company sponsorship harm patients?
- Wanting it all
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True for some, but certainly not all, cancer drugs. For example, the second-generation tyrosine kinase inhibitors like dasatinib and sunitinib not only help overcome resistance to Gleevec (imatinib) but also have new indications (e.g., sunitinib in GIST or RCC). In addition, because the therapeutic index of chemotherapy drugs is so narrow, having less toxic formulations (e.g., liposomal preparations) may allow for further dose escalation without compromising end-organ function.
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