Editor's Corner

Several comments came in about yesterday's editor's note on the need for price caps on some of the new and more expensive therapies hitting the market. Seattle-based Gail E. Gillenwater, PhD, from Pharma Development Solutions, had these thoughts:

"Your comments in today's FierceBiotech's post regarding current pricing practices for new drug products were, as usual, on target. One additional important point regarding Avastin therapy is that the actual cost to patients/third-party payers is not the $55,000 to $100,000 that will be charged. Rather, the actual drug costs to patients using Avastin is the cost of Avastin plus carboplatin and paclitaxel, since the safety and efficacy of Avastin was studied and approved only as combination therapy.

Also, note that Avastin, an anti-VEGF agent, is associated with significant side effects, which also will increase the actual cost of using this therapy.

Development of drugs such as Avastin that have new mechanisms of action allowing a multi-factorial approach to treating cancer are important therapeutic advances, and it's important to understand and appreciate the actual costs and limitations of these therapies." - John Carroll