Efforts to improve access to cancer medicines should not overlook exorbitant prices
On 17 September 2015, the much anticipated Senate report on the Availability of new, innovative and specialist cancer drugs in Australia was released.1 The inquiry preceding the report, which was triggered by concerns about inadequate and inequitable access to cancer medicines, had attracted over 200 submissions from doctors, patients, patient advocacy groups and government decision makers.
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- 2. Department of Health. New drug listing Keytruda to treat melanoma [media release]. 28 June 2015. https://www.health.gov.au/internet/ministers/publishing.nsf/Content/health-mediarel-yr2014-ley081.htm (accessed Nov 2016).
- 3. Department of Health. Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) listing of Keytruda (pembrolizumab) for the treatment of advanced melanoma. Sept 2015. http://webarchive.nla.gov.au/gov/20151020031023/http://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/MC15-006518-PBS-list-of-keytruda (accessed Jan 2016).
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- 6. IMS Institute for Healthcare Informatics. Global use of medicines in 2020: outlook and implications. Nov 2015. http://www.imshealth.com/en/thought-leadership/ims-institute/reports/global-medicines-use-in-2020 (accessed Jan 2016).
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- 8. Pollack A. Drug goes from $13.50 a tablet to $750, overnight. New York Times 20 Sept 2015. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/21/business/a-huge-overnight-increase-in-a-drugs-price-raises-protests.html?_r=2 (accessed Jan 2016).
- 9. Social Finance. Social impact bonds: rethinking finance for social outcomes. London: Social Finance, Aug 2009. http://www.socialfinance.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/SIB_report_web.pdf (accessed Jan 2016).
- 10. Cherny NI, Sullivan R, Dafni U, et al. A standardised, generic, validated approach to stratify the magnitude of clinical benefit that can be anticipated from anti-cancer therapies: the European Society for Medical Oncology Magnitude of Clinical Benefit Scale (ESMO-MCBS). Ann Oncol 2015; 26: 1547-1573.
This work is funded by a National Health and Medical Research Council grant.
Wendy Lipworth is affiliated with the Drug Information Association.