Costly Cancer Drug Offers Hope, but Also a Dilemma

Avastin improves survival in colon cancer and lung cancer and improves progression free survival in breast cancer- clinically meaningful outcomes.  Yet these gains are of relatively short duration and the cost of Avastin is significant- 50,000 to 100,000 dollars per year.

The issues associated with expensive therapeutics are multifaceted and involve personal, professional and societal components. Value related to medical treatment is uniquely assessed by each individual with respect to his/her financial burden, overall lifestyle and quality of life, societal role, and belief structure. Society itself is beset with contrary stakeholders in the insurance, governmental,...

I and many other ophthalmologists around the country use Avastin intravitreally for wet macular degeneration in doses far smaller than those used for systemic cancer.  Although it is an "off-label" use of the drug, the cost for using Avastin is 1/6oth of Lucentis, a very similar drug, also made by Genentech, that IS FDA approved for macular degeneration.  Yet, Avastin works...

This article is important because: 1) Costly cancer drugs are unsustainable in our healthcare system 2) Indiscriminate use of Avastin swallows up money that would be better spent elsewhere

The cost of medical care is increasing at an alarming rate The amount of money to support a physician's practice is going down at the same alarming rate especially in oncology

Avastin is only one of many new targeted therapies that are expensive.  It was first introduced in colon cancer and has helped to extend the survival of metastatic colon cancer from 3-6 months to 2 years. It has recently been approved for use in lung and breast cancers as well.  It is in these cancers that the benefit to the patient of the addition of this drug is measured in weeks rather...