Summary
DRUG PRICING: PUBLIC HEALTH IMPLICATIONS
The Dr. Lawrence H. and Roberta Cohn Forums
Presented in Collaboration with Reuters and in Association with Harvard Health Publications
We are deeply saddened by the loss of Dr. Lawrence H. Cohn, advisor and supporter of this Forum in addition to others in the The Dr. Lawrence H. and Roberta Cohn Forums series.
A full course of treatment with the blockbuster Hepatitis C drug Sovaldi costs $84,000 in the United States. A year on the new injectable cholesterol drugs Repatha and Praluent tops $14,000. The price of new cancer drugs now averages $10,000 per month, according to one estimate. Straining under the pressure, doctors, patients, and insurers are raising alarms over skyrocketing prices. Earlier this year, the American Society of Clinical Oncology released a new “value framework” for drugs that considers health benefit and price to help guide doctor-patient conversations around treatment options. For their part, pharmaceutical companies and some economists argue that the high cost of drug development justifies the price. This Forum explored the factors driving the high cost of new drugs. What policy changes, from the drug approval process to patent law, could change the equation? Are some of these drugs worth the cost? And what can be done to make sure that patients can afford the medications that they need?
Brief Video Highlight
Part of: The Dr. Lawrence H. and Roberta Cohn Forums.
Presented in Collaboration with Reuters and in Association with Harvard Health Publications
Background Articles
- Transatlantic divide: how U.S. pays three times more for drugs
- A Tale of Two Drugs
Technology Review - A New Way to Define Value in Drug Pricing
Harvard Business Review - ASCO Framework to Assess the Value of Cancer Treatment Options
Journal of Clinical Oncology - Transforming the Market for New Drugs
Institute for Clinical and Economic Review
Image Credit: ©iStockphoto.com/ptlee
