Like many people in his shoes, my father opted to try the new drug because he thought it might help. It was expensive, but his insurance would cover it, and the high price seemed to suggest it was special. It was also better than doing nothing.
Cary Gross, professor and cancer researcher at Yale University School of Medicine, writes a personal opinion piece for the Washington Post. Gross’ life work is to study whether new cancer treatments that are successful in small trials will be therapeutic in routine clinical practice. His 80-year-old father, diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Disease, was offered and took the opportunity to try a new cancer treatment drug, despite the limited research data available and the high cost.
“Like many people in his shoes, my father opted to try the new drug because he thought it might help. It was expensive, but his insurance would cover it, and the high price seemed to suggest it was special. It was also better than doing nothing.”
Gross’ continues to explain the nuances of cancer treatment drug trials. The Food and Drug Administration approved of this specific treatment with only 100 patients studied. More often than not, these drug trials are also performed on younger, healthier adults whose bodies simply respond differently than one of an 80-year-old. In fact, his father experience further debilitation as a result of the side effects of the new cancer treatment. Unable to walk and bedbound, he was in a rougher shape than when he has started.
Cary Gross explains that the government regulations are about to be loosened by President Trump in order to support pharmaceutical companies.
“The 21st Century Cures Act has already created a pathway for companies to obtain FDA approvals with less rigorous evidence. At the same time, large funders of research that study the safety and effectiveness of drugs, such as the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, face uncertain futures in the current Congress.”
Cary Gross ends by strongly stating that people deserve more treatment options and focus should be placed on creating more possible, available cure for diseases. However, prioritizing research and the effectiveness of such drugs is necessary. Evidence-based treatments must become available so that they no longer do more harm than good.
