Unapproved Lilly Lung Cancer Drug Stirs Price Debate
August 27 2015 - 11:32AM
Dow Jones News
By Peter Loftus
An experimental Eli Lilly & Co. lung cancer drug hasn't
reached the market, but some doctors are already weighing in on how
much it should cost--arguing the price should be below average
because the drug extended patient lives by only six to seven weeks
in a clinical trial.
The pre-emptive price proposal--published Thursday by the
medical journal JAMA Oncology--is a sign of the rising debate over
drug pricing. Cancer doctors have become increasingly vocal in
their criticism, saying the costs don't seem to be tied to the
benefits provided by the drugs. Last month, more than 100
oncologists published an editorial in a medical journal calling for
measures to control prices.
Indianapolis-based Lilly has applied for U.S. regulatory
approval to market the drug, necitumumab, for the treatment of a
form of advanced lung cancer and expects a Food and Drug
Administration decision by the end of this year.
A Lilly spokeswoman said it was premature to discuss pricing
because the drug hasn't been approved yet.
(MORE TO COME)
Write to Peter Loftus at peter.loftus@wsj.com
Subscribe to WSJ: http://online.wsj.com?mod=djnwires
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
August 27, 2015 11:17 ET (15:17 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2015 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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