New Approval; Higher Price for Cancer Drug

The Fortune 500 biotechnology company Genentech recently received FDA approval to expand the use of its anti-colon cancer drug Avastin for patients with lung cancer. Reuters reports that the decision was based on a single study that suggested that combining Avastin with chemotherapy could improve survival by 25%. The treatment will tack on an additional $4,400 to $8,800 to already expensive cancer treatments.

The medical community has had a mixed response.

"There's no question that bringing these drugs to market, includes substantial investments in research, clinical trials, and manufacturing. But their high costs can have an immediate and dramatic effect on cancer patients and their families. These costs have the potential to reduce access to the best available treatment because families with limited incomes will be forced to make choices based on their finances," said Len Lichtenfeld, MD, Chief Medical Officer of the American Cancer Society.

Genentech is also the license holder for Cyclopamine, a drug that has been targeted for an open source investigation by Wired News for what could have been an illegal clinical trial in India. Readers are encouraged to send further tips to BodyHack.