Posted by Michael Wonder on 11 Oct 2017
Trajectories of injectable cancer drug costs after launch in the United States
11 October 2017 - Cancer drug prices at launch have increased in recent years. It is unclear how individual drug prices change over time after launch and what market determinants influence these changes.
Gordon et al. measured the price trajectories of a cohort of cancer drugs after their launch into the US market and assessed the influence of market structure on price changes.
With a mean follow-up period of 8 years, the mean percent change in cost for all drugs was +25% (range, −14% to +96%). After adjusting for inflation, the mean cost change was +18% (range, −16% to +59%). Rituximab and trastuzumab followed a similar pattern in cost increases over time, and the inflation-adjusted monthly costs rose since approval by 49% and 44%, respectively. New supplemental US FDA approvals, new off-label indications, and new competitors did not influence the annual cost change rates.
