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Dec 08
2009
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A new just approved cancer drug, called Folotyn, will cost over $30,000 a month, which is at least triple that of other drugs that critics have said are too expensive for the benefits they offer to patients.
An analyst at Leerink Swann, estimated that a typical treatment would last 3.5 months and cost $126,000, or about $36,000 a month. Dr. Lee N. Newcomer, senior vice president for oncology at the big insurer UnitedHealthcare, called the price of Folotyn "unconscionable."but insurers would be obligated to pay for Folotyn because there were no alternatives. According to the New York Times, drug makers in general have been raising prices sharply in advance of the possible passage of health care overhaul legislation, according to various studies.
What can be done about this? What should be done?
