5 ms·
One of the things that EU countries do is negotiate with the the drug manufacturers. So UK in this case of Lumacaftor, didn't cover the drug until they got a re
by pkaye 6y ago
One of the things that EU countries do is negotiate with the the drug manufacturers. So UK in this case of Lumacaftor, didn't cover the drug until they got a reasonable price. This meant a 4 year delay in access to the drug vs the US.
> It was approved for medical use in the United States in 2015, and in Canada in 2016.[3][5] In the United States it costs more than $US 22,000 a month as of 2018.[6][7] While its use was not recommended in the United Kingdom as of 2018,[4] pricing was agreed upon in 2019 and it is expected to be covered by November of that year.[8]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lumacaftor/ivacaftor https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lumacaftor/ivacaftor
- jackson1442 6y agoI don't think you can really say that the US has "access" to a drug when it costs $22,000/month, which, given the median household income of $68,700/yr, is nearly 4x more than the average American makes in a month.
- kube-system 6y agoMany Americans who use expensive specialty drugs have prescription drug coverage and don’t pay the entire price of the drug. And/or they get a discount through manufacturers programs. That said, my insurance does not cover the above drug.
- ahepp 6y agoSo practically speaking, many Americans have to wait even longer than those in the UK? Even if they have insurance? And perhaps even a well paying job with good benefits (an assumption of mine based on the setting).
- zdragnar 6y agoI don't know about that particular drug, but I was on a super spendy drug- the manufacturer had a program that would cover the difference down to $5 / month or $25 if your insurance didn't cover it or you don't have any. My insurance wouldn't cover it until I tried cheaper alternatives first, but I didn't want to try those given their fair more serious side effect / risk profile. Because of the manufacturer program, I was still able to get it for $25. I dont know if that would be possible in the UK if the programs arent offered there. Also, no waiting period other than the medicine had to be shipped from a specialty pharmacy that could deal with the temperature storage and handling requirements. There is a bit of a wait to see a specialist to actually prescribe it, but that varies by geographic region and specialty.
- kube-system 6y agoI don’t follow. What would they be waiting for?
- deleted 6y ago[deleted]
- jackson1442 6y agoMoney to pay the bill.
- mobilefriendly 6y agoTo some degree, the EU (and Canada's similar practice) forces US consumers to underwrite the cost of R & D that creates many of these drugs in the first place.
- justinclift 6y agoInstead of that, perhaps the US consumers are simply being overcharged?