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Are
High Doses of Expensive Drugs Always Warranted?
March
16, 2008-- If doses of very
expensive drugs are reduced in order to save money, is it to the
detriment of the patient? For example,
Genzyme’s Cerezyme (imiglucerase),
a treatment for Gaucher disease, can cost more than $300,000 per
year. But some experts say that for most patients, as little as
one-fourth the standard top dose would work. In another example,
some lung cancer doctors are using only half the approved dose of
Genentech’s drug Avastin (bevacizumab), after a recent study
suggested the half-dose might be as effective as the full one,
which can cost $100,000 per year. Read the article in The
New York Times (Free registration required).
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