Joe Graedon, M.S. and Teresa Graedon, Ph.D.
See book keywords and concepts |  At the time of this writing, herceptin (trastuzumab), a drug for breast cancer patients, costs $3,200 per month. Avastin (bevacizumab) for colorectal cancer can cost $4,400 per month. Revlimid (lenalidomide), a treatment for multiple myeloma, could cost more than $70,000 per year. And Erbitux (cetuximab) for head and neck or colorectal cancer might exceed $110,000 annually.
Two decades ago we spoke with a drug company insider. This former executive related a top-level meeting in which this question was raised: "If you found a cure for cancer, what would you charge for it? |
Mike Adams
See book keywords and concepts |  The numbers are distorted to make the drugs look more effective than they really are. herceptin, for example, produced only a 0.6 percent absolute reduction in breast cancer risk in one study, yet the medical hucksters pushing this drug are wildly screaming about it being a "breast cancer cure!" and demanding that practically all breast cancer patients be immediately put on it. Yet it's not even effective on one person out of a hundred. | | The recently hyped breast cancer drug herceptin mirrors this exact scenario. One study showed it to help only 0.6 percent of women avoid recurring breast cancer, yet doctors, oncologists, and breast cancer non-profit groups have been hyping up the drug as a miracle "cure" for breast cancer and demanding that all at-risk women be treated with it.
To make matters worse, the FDA refused to enforce scientific standards with DTC advertising, and to this day, there is still no law that requires the FDA to pre-approve drug advertising at all. |
Jacky Law
See book keywords and concepts |  If the comparison had been with herceptin, anastrozole would not have looked so good. But Tamoxifen gives a more direct comparison to glean what we are paying for: £100 million ($180 million) for the advances since Tamoxifen as outlined above. In affluent countries, that may seem like a good use of taxpayers' money, because what is more precious than health? But no one knows what taxpayers think because there is no way of knowing and very little serious debate beyond simply demanding greater access to life-saving drugs. |
The Life Extension Editorial Staff
See book keywords and concepts |  This monoclonal antibody therapy differs from traditional treatments, such as chemotherapy and hormone-blocking therapy. herceptin works by specifically targeting tumor cells that overexpress the HER2 protein. A monoclonal antibody blocks the receptors and prevents activation of genes that induce cell division, thereby slowing the growth of the tumor.
The reported side effects are chills, diarrhea, nausea, weakness, headache, and vomiting and possibly damage of the heart muscle, anemia, and nerve pain. |
Samuel S. Epstein, M.D.
See book keywords and concepts |  Notable examples are the monoclonal antibodies herceptin, used for treatment of breast cancer, and Rituxan, for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.66 However, in the absence of evidence on improved survival rates, which will take several years to develop, most oncologists and the media are reacting with cautious optimism and with talk of advances in treatment, rather than cures. A notable exception is the extravagant recent hype on angiogenesis inhibitors. |
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