- Drugmaker Pharmacyclics had tripled the cost of a lifesaving cancer blood treatment when it introduced a new version of the pill.
- The new price tag faced criticism from cancer doctors who were concerned about how this would impact how they dosed patients with the drug.
- Last week, Pharmacyclics reversed its decision to take the initial version of the drug off the market, giving patients and doctors a lower-cost option.
The maker of a lifesaving blood cancer treatment planned to triple the cost of the drug — but it’s backing down after pressure from doctors.
The drug, Imbruvica, treats serious forms of blood cancer such as leukemia and lymphoma. Developed by Pharmacyclics in conjunction with Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen arm, it has increased survival rates especially in high-risk patients and most patients treated with the drug show favorable outcomes. See the rest of the story at Business Insider
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