The cost of hope: Doctors weigh the benefits of new drugs against sky-high costs

Abstract

As much training as a physician has in the complexities and nuances of a disease like cancer, nothing can prepare them for the labyrinthine rules and twisted economics that occur at the hazy crossroads where pharmaceutical manufacturers and insurance companies meet. Nowhere is this more true than in America, which is the world’s most important single market for drugs, as well as it’s most expensive. The new class of gene-specific drugs which have revolutionized oncology over the last decade have not only changed the way doctors practice medicine, they have filled the coffers of drug companies. Yet the extent to which these new breed of oncology medicines actually help patients varies dramatically, and many people question whether the costs are justified by the benefits. ‘‘These drugs are very very expensive, there’s no doubt about it,’’ said Dr. Yu-Ning Wong of the Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia, who has researched how the cost of drugs has influenced patient use. Because the drugs work differently in different subsets of patients, depending on the disease and clinical situation, ‘‘it is hard to put a value on the drugs in just one specific context,’’ she said. A recent study, which she co-authored, concluded that ‘‘Whether the benefits are worth the costs clearly depends on the stakeholder; patients with advanced cancer may perceive greater value than healthy patients, policymakers, insurers, and physicians.’’