Marko Georgiev for The New York Times
Doctors are excited about the prospect of Avastin, a drug already widely used for colon cancer, as a crucial new treatment for br.east and lung cancer, too. But doctors are cringing at the price the maker, Genentech, plans to charge for it: about US$100,000 a year.
Doctors, though, warn that some cancer patients are already being priced out of the Avastin market. Even some patients with insurance are thinking hard before agreeing to treatment, doctors say, because out-of-pocket co-payments for the drug could easily run US$10,000 to $20,000 a year.
Studies show that Avastin can prolong the lives of patients with late-stage breast and lung cancer by several months when the drug is combined with existing therapies.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/15/business/15drug.html?ex=1297659600&en=62aabaec5acffa8c&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss=======================
Singapore should buy over these companies and sell cancer medicines cheaply to the world......do not let money-minded companies hold this world to ransom.
