Here’s what you get when you spend thousands of dollars on a “breakthrough” cancer drug

It always amazes me how low the bar is set for “breakthrough” cancer drugs.

Take Nexavar, a Bayer drug that treats liver and kidney cancers. Forbes calls it a “blockbuster” and an “innovative” medicine.

Currently, there’s a controversy around the drug because a court in India has tried to order Bayer to make the drug available at generic prices so it can be given to Indian patients who can’t afford it.

In India, Nexavar costs $69,000 for a year of treatment — a cost that’s more than 40 times the Indian per capita income.

The price for 10-months of Nexavar treatment in the U.S. is $80,000.

And what do you get in return for that stunning sticker shock?

In 2007, Cancer Focus reported on a study that tested Nexavar tablets in liver cancer patients. Results showed that the drug “significantly extended overall survival” compared to placebo.

But the key word there is “overall.” We’re not talking about the kind of survival where you actually beat cancer and then go on to live out a relatively normal life.

Here are the revealing numbers: The average overall survival of patients who received placebo was 7.9 months. In the Nexavar group it was 10.7 months.

This is primarily what cancer research does these days: Enormously expensive drugs are developed for the potential (no promises) of a few additional weeks of life.

You know what would be a true breakthrough? A drug that kills cancer cells, but leaves healthy cells intact and doesn’t prompt hideous side effects. You know…something like intravenous vitamin C.

Sources:
“Nexavar significantly extends overall survival by 44 percent in liver cancer patients” Cancer Focus, 6/4/07, cancerfocus.org