colorectal cancer drug Erbitux blocked in canada
From Monday's Globe and Mail
One of the world's most costly cancer drugs will not be marketed in Canada because the distributor can't charge the price it wants -- one a federal board has found to be too high.
Bristol-Myers Squibb Canada has taken the unusual move of not launching the colorectal cancer drug Erbitux after it could not agree on a price with the Patented Medicine Prices Review Board. The drug was approved by Health Canada nine months ago.
"For the time being, we made the decision not to launch Erbitux because the value is not in line with the innovation it brings to patients," said Marc Osborne, director of public relations for Bristol-Myers Squibb Canada, the company that licenses and distributes the product in Canada.
Mr. Osborne refused to say how much the company wants to charge for the drug, as did the Patented Medicine Prices Review Board, which regulates the price of patented medicines to ensure they are not excessive.
The Cancer Advocacy Coalition of Canada estimates the drug, used to treat advanced cases of colorectal cancer, costs about $56,000 for a standard course of therapy.
At the same time, the Ontario government is spending millions for cancer patients to receive Erbitux in U.S. hospitals, where the drug commands one of the highest prices in the world.