Disparidades de precios en terápias oncológicas.

The price of new cancer drugs varies widely between high-income countries in Europe, Australia, and New Zealand, new research published in The Lancet Oncology has found. 

The study is the first cross-country price comparison of cancer drugs for a large number of high-income countries. It reveals that overall the UK and Mediterranean countries such as Greece, Spain, and Portugal pay the lowest average unit manufacturer prices for a group of 31 patented cancer drugs, while Sweden, Switzerland, and Germany pay the highest prices. 

The greatest differences in price were noted for Eli Lilly’s Gemzar (gemcitabine) - used in the treatment of various cancers including breast, lung, pancreatic, and ovarian cancer - which costs €209 per vial in New Zealand and just €43 in Australia. Novartis’ Zometa, (zoledronic acid), for the prevention of bone complications in advanced cancer, costs €330 per vial in New Zealand, but just €128 in Greece. 

“Public payers in Germany are paying 223% more in terms of official prices for interferon alfa 2b for melanoma and leukaemia treatment than those in Greece,” says lead author Dr Sabine Vogler, from the WHO Collaborating Centre for Pharmaceutical Pricing and Reimbursement Policies in Vienna, Austria. “For gefitinib to treat non-small-lung cancer, the price in Germany is 172% higher than in New Zealand.” 

Cancer drug prices have risen sharply in recent years, putting further pressure on healthcare systems feeling the strain of growing and ageing populations. In the European Union, healthcare expenditure on cancer was around €51 billion in 2009, with cancer drugs accounting for almost a third of this expenditure. In Australia meanwhile, spending on cancer drugs rose from Aus$65 million in 1999–2000 to $422 million in 2011–2012. (Más)