Novel Cancer Drugs: Are They Worth It?

There are standard treatments for cancer patients already in place, but the search for better and more effective medications still continues. Most of the new medicines for cancer are a bit pricey and so people begin to ask if they are truly worth all the extra costs. However, new studies show that these new medications for cancer may be adding little value for patients who are already undergoing the standard treatment. 

Two studies that have been conducted linking the benefits of the medicines to their costs in the US and Europe were submitted to the ESMO Congress 2019. The research was aimed if the monthly cost of the treatment using medicines for cancer that were introduced in the market in the last 10-15 years were associated with improved outcomes for patient care. The investigation reveals the answer to questions such as, "Did it improve their quality of life? Did it lessen the complications that may have been present in the standard treatment?"

"Most of the drugs that were tested revealed low added value. Doctors and patients should never assume that because these drugs are new and promise to be innovative, it already means that they are better," said Dr. Marc Rodwin, Suffolk University, Boston, co-author of a study on new anti-cancer medications in France. 

In this study, they surveyed the new drugs for cancer that have been approved in Europe between 2004 and 2017. The medicines for solid tumors received low scores on the ESMO Magnitude of Clinical Benefit Scale (ESMO-MCBS). Two-thirds of the group of medicines has low added value score based on the Added Therapeutic Benefit Ranking (ASMR), the ranking used by French drug regulators. The study also compared the prices of these new drugs to the standard medications available in the market and they cost more each month considering that they target to cure the same type of cancer. 

"This was the first study that correlates the price of the medication to their actual value on the aspect of medicine. While there is a link between these two values, the link is quite weak," Rodwin said. 

The study reveals that the cost of the drugs was not at par with how they work to alleviate the health condition of the patients that take them. The clinical benefit is quite low and the price of the drugs is too high. The study also highlights that some of the most expensive drugs to treat lung and prostate cancer in Switzerland got the lowest ESMO-MCBS scores. 

"It is important that the pricing of the drugs is aligned with their so-called clinical value. This way, the governments will work harder on innovative medications that truly brings about desired results and patient outcomes," said Prof. Kerstin Vokinge, University of Zurich.