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WCOE: Matthew Herper Asks the Question “What Is This Worth to You?”

October 17, 2014/in Cancer News, Cancer Policy Blog Access to Care, Care Coordination, Clinical Trials, Payment Reform, Quality Cancer Care NCCS News /by actualize
What Caught Our Eye (WCOE) Each week, we take a closer look at the cancer policy articles, studies, and stories that caught our attention.
“To some, this might seem like highway robbery on (Alexion CEO) Bell’s part. But in past conversations, he’s given me a very different perspective. The high costs of these drugs are necessary in order to convince companies to take the decades-long task of bringing them to market, and the drugs are worth it because they save lives in a way that most medicines simply don’t. They represent the willingness of society to treat people in desperate need no matter what.”
This week, in an article by science and medicine reporter Matthew Herper  titled “A Drug Regrew a Little Girl’s Missing Bones. How Much Should That Cost?” from Forbes caught our eye.

Evie Elsaesser was born with a rare, life-threatening genetic disease causing low levels of hypophophatasia— a chemical important for bone hardening—in her blood. Although the seizures caused by the condition could be treated with existing therapies, there was no known treatment for her frail bones. Evie was enrolled in a clinical trial for a drug that replaced the needed enzyme for skeletal formation, ultimately allowing Evie to walk, run, and attend school with peers. However, at a price that is likely to cost more than $200,00 per patient per year, Herper asks, “What is this (treatment) worth to you?”

This question is not unique to Evie’s treatment, and has been raised repeatedly as new cancer therapies continue to emerge and policymakers seek ways to address cost, value, and sustainability concerns in the health care system.  Most recently, a high-profile story that appeared on the television newsmagazine program 60 Minutes reported on “the ’eye popping’ cost of cancer drugs,” promoting subsequent responses such as this Forbes article—“Treating Cancer No Matter the Cost.” With payers, patients, providers, and pharmaceutical companies weighing in on the issue, many questions remain about reaching a consensus on the costs and value of these treatments while preserving incentives for innovation.

NCCS continues to monitor these discussions and offer policy comments related to this and other timely issues that impact cancer care. NCCS also recently hosted a webinar as part of our Cancer Policy Advocate Training (CPAT) Program in which the featured presenter, Dr. Peter Bach, discussed some of the issues related to costs of treatment, as well as FDA approval paths, payment reform proposals, and quality measurement in cancer care.

Tags: cancer care, clinical trials, ePatient, payment reform, quality, What Caught Our Eye
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Harmar Brereton, MD

Founder
Northeast Regional Cancer Institute

 

“Perhaps one of the most impactful collaborations in Dr. Brereton’s extraordinary career remains his early work and long friendship with Ellen Stovall. Through him, and in turn through the thousands of lives he has touched, Ellen’s work continues, and her mission lives on.”

—Karen M. Saunders
President, Northeast Regional Cancer Institute