Oncologists Reveal Reasons for High Cost of Cancer Drugs in the U.S., Recommend Solutions

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Increasingly high prices for cancer drugs are affecting patient care in the U.S. and the American health care system overall, say the authors of a special article published online in the journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings.

“Americans with cancer pay 50 percent to 100 percent more for the same patented drug than patients in other countries,” says S. Vincent Rajkumar, M.D., of Mayo Clinic Cancer Center, who is one of the authors. “As oncologists we have a moral obligation to advocate for affordable cancer drugs for our patients.”

Dr. Rajkumar and his colleague, Hagop Kantarjian, M.D., of MD Anderson Cancer Center, say the average price of cancer drugs for about a year of therapy increased from $5,000 to $10,000 before 2000 to more than $100,000 by 2012. Over nearly the same period the average household income in the U.S. decreased by about 8 percent.

Comments

Harriet A says:

Cancer drugs are simply toxic poison not worth a penny! Real cancer cure is in nutrition/diet change, good water, oxygen and herbal/vitamin/mineral supplements! Anyone can do it and u don't just 'prolong' life but get total cure with no side effects whatsoever! Tried and tested with thousands around the world but BIG Pharma doesn't want u to know so it's kept secret or belied even!

simplyme922 says:

Excellent conversation. Now, what to do about it?

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