A prostate cancer drug has been developed that most in the medical community have deemed “lifesaving”. Unfortunately, most Americans will not have access to the drug due to its $190,000 dollar price tag. Oh, and did I forget to mention, the drugs development was 100% developed using tax payer dollars.
The drug Xtandi, from pharmaceutical powerhouses Pfizer and Astellas, is being sold for between 3-6 times what it is being sold in most other developed nations. This is a story that is becoming far to common in the American medical system.
However, there is a chance that the department of Health and Human Services could step in to provide some relief to the overwhelming amount of Americans that will not be able to access this drug. Whether HHS takes the necessary steps though, is another issue entirely.
James Love has been researching drug pricing trends since the 90’s and is a bit of an expert on the issue. The current Director of Knowledge Ecology International sat down for a conversation with me about what options the U. S. government has to provide access to such a necessary treatment.
To listen to the entire article, click below.
