Raising the Dose and Raising the Cost : The Case of Pembrolizumab in Lung Cancer
Menée aux Etats-Unis à partir notamment de données sur le prix de vente moyen des médicaments et de données de survie, cette étude estime, dans le traitement d'un cancer métastatique du poumon non à petites cellules, le coût annuel associé à l'utilisation de deux types de dose de pembrolizumab : dose personnalisée (en fonction du poids du patient) et dose fixe (200 mg)
After adjusting for inflation, the price per life-year gained of cancer drugs rose from $54 100 to $207 000 over the 20-year time period between 1995 and 2013 (1). Higher launch prices are one way companies can generate more revenue from sales. Another is raising prices after launch. Gleevec launched in the United States at $4546 per month (in 2014 dollars), and it now costs $12 278. Prices typically rise when a cancer drug has gained a new indication or compendia listing, and even without these events prices rose around 5% per year; direct competitors entering the market cause prices to decline by only around 2% (2). An investigation by the Financial Times reported that prices for drugs such as Sprycel, Zytiga, and Revlimid have risen in price 60% to 100% over the past five years and that there are no substantial rebates being paid for them (3).