How many families have been destroyed by the sky-high price of targeted drugs? Is it worth spending money on treatment? Behind the answer is hardship
If you are unfortunately seriously ill, how much are you willing to pay to prolong your life? How many families have been crushed in order to cure the disease?
01. If you max out 11 credit cards, treating a disease is like filling a bottomless pit
An ordinary family with an annual income of less than 100,000 yuan has maxed out 11 credit cards and swiped more than 690,000 yuan, hoping to cure the disease of their youngest son.
Ms. Du, 31, has a son who is less than one year old. A few months after giving birth to her son, Ms. Du found that something was wrong with the child: he didn't like to move, he didn't want to breathe, he had difficulty swallowing, and his muscles were weak.
After genetic testing, the younger son was diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy . Spinal muscular atrophy is a rare disease, and a targeted drug for treatment costs 700,000. 6 injections are required in the first year and 3 injections per year thereafter .
No matter how hard it is, you can't suffer the child, and you can't give up treatment. The couple took out all their savings, the pensions and pensions of both parents, loans from relatives and friends, bank credit cards, and even the 30,000 yuan saved by the 90-year-old grandmother in her lifetime before the first injection was given to the child.
02. There are medicines but you can't afford them. You can only cook for a day.
"We know that there are medicines for treatment now, but 700,000 injections, we can't cure it!"
The 9-year-old Yueyue also suffered from spinal muscular atrophy. She ate liquid food every day, and it was difficult to even turn over. She had to use an oxygen generator to survive the night. Because an oxygen generator could not be bought, she was still one of the patients in the group. It was given by a friend, and her child died because of incurability.
" In the past, I had to try my best to treat my child, but now I have medicine, but my family has no money, so I can only live a day to count as a day. " Yueyue's mother wiped her tears helplessly many times, "This feeling It makes people more complicated, and now I don’t take pictures of children anymore, I’m afraid it will be uncomfortable to watch.”
"The medicine has been researched, but so many people can't cure it, what's the point ..." Yueyue's father sighed deeply.
Fortunately, in 2019, the world's first treatment for spinal muscular atrophy dropped from 700,000 injections to 550,000. In the latest version of the National Medical Insurance Drug List to be implemented in January 2022, it has been successfully included in medical insurance, down to 33,000 yuan per injection , bringing hope to countless patients. But as Yueyue's father said, why are targeted drugs so expensive?
1. Why are targeted drugs so expensive?
Targeted drugs are drugs that can selectively select targets and cause tumor cells to die in specific locations without affecting normal cells. The reason why targeted drugs are so expensive is actually related to the cost of targeted drugs from research and development to market launch:
Research and development costs: The research and development of new drugs requires huge human and material resources, which is the result of a large number of research experts after a long period of experimental research.
Trial cost: Targeted drug development results will not be put into the market immediately, because a large number of clinical trials are still required, and the efficacy and side effects of the drug need to be comprehensively considered after group comparison.
Time cost: The research and development of new drugs often takes several years or even longer. If the efficacy of the drug is not significantly improved during this period, the previous investment is basically equivalent to wasted.
Speaking of this, it is also necessary to explain to you what is a generic drug and what is a counterfeit drug.
Generic drugs are not counterfeit drugs . After a new drug is available for a period of time, the protection period of the patent expires, and the legal generic drug produced by the pharmaceutical factory is the real drug that meets the drug standards, but it is relatively low cost.
However, after new drugs are put into the market, the price is often very expensive, and it is easy to appear "fake drugs", that is, APIs.
APIs are prepared by chemical synthesis, biotechnology or plant extraction by analyzing the active ingredients of new drugs, but APIs cannot be taken directly by patients because there are no excipients and additives, which may cause strong side effects. or extremely poor efficacy.
In general, the cost of research and development of targeted drugs is extremely high. It takes an average of at least 13.5 years from the development cycle to preclinical target screening to the final successful launch (excluding the target confirmation stage). The time required for clinical development is 5.5 years, and the average clinical development time is 8 years.
Therefore, it is not without reason that targeted drugs are expensive. However, targeted drugs are indeed life-saving drugs for many patients. What if there is no money to buy them? It is gratifying that the country is also actively striving for the opportunity of "treatment" for patients.
In the fourth revision of the National Medical Insurance Drug List, the average decrease in the price of newly negotiated drugs reached 61.71% , 7 new drugs for the treatment of rare diseases were added, and some new targeted drugs were also included.
In 2020, among the hospitals monitored by the clinical application monitoring network of anti-tumor drugs, the average number of anti-tumor drugs negotiated by medical insurance increased by 15% compared with the previous year, and the average number of inpatients using these drugs increased by 6%. The cost has dropped by 8%, and the average cost of some more expensive targeted therapy drugs and immunotherapy drugs has been reduced by 50% to 70%.
2. Is it worth spending money on targeted drugs to prolong life?
Targeted drugs are expensive, which may not be a problem for families of patients with good financial conditions, but for families of patients with average financial ability, it may be necessary to borrow money everywhere for treatment. Is this kind of hands-on investment worth it?
In this regard, Professor Lin Lizhu, director of the Oncology Department of the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, put forward her own views:
First, if the targeted drug is selected correctly, it is indeed effective in controlling the patient's condition, improving the quality of the patient, and prolonging the survival period. If the wrong targeted drug is selected, then this kind of treatment will not only waste money and time, but also delay the disease.
Second, for patients themselves and their families, when choosing targeted drugs, they must find experienced experts and use them rationally under their guidance.
In fact, from the perspective of human care, our lives are priceless. In order to make the sick family members or relatives live longer, it is really touching to try our best to treat them.
Some cancers may have great promise at an advanced stage , such as lymphoma and testicular cancer, or long-term survival with the tumor, while some may really not need treatment .
Another thing to consider is that everyone has a different attitude towards death , some are afraid, some are calm, and some are chasing the quality of life....
In clinical practice, "ineffective treatment" also occurs. The so-called "ineffective treatment" refers to the use of all the most advanced technologies in the dying patients to help them prolong their lives.
This ineffective treatment may actually be torture for the patient himself. Perhaps in today's technological development, the biggest problem faced by doctors is not how to let the patient live, but how to let the patient leave peacefully.
With the continuous development of medical technology, the treatment plan of cancer patients has also developed from the initial surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy to new types of immunotherapy and targeted therapy, because the process of targeted drugs from research and development to marketing requires investment in research and development, testing and time. cost, so it's expensive! But I am grateful that the country has been paying attention to this people's livelihood issue, and now some targeted drugs are gradually included in the medical insurance, which greatly reduces the economic burden of cancer patients' families! It is hoped that in the future, lack of money to buy targeted drugs will no longer be a dilemma for cancer patients.
References:
[1] "315 "Drug counterfeiting", the doctor expressed his point of view". Medical and Health News. 2017-03-16
[2] "Can the "high-priced drug" be used after the price reduction? Is the research and development of innovative drugs encouraged? What answers does the "new" drug catalog bring? ". Health News Channel. 2021-12-06
[3] "National Health and Medical Commission: The average cost of some anti-cancer targeted drugs in China has dropped by 50%-70%". Chronic Diseases. 2021-04-29
[4] "In-depth good text! When doctors themselves and their loved ones are terminally ill, why do they choose the least treatment! ". Health Times. 2019-06-24
[5] "Avoid spending more money and take medicine for nothing! Quickly remember these common sense of taking targeted drugs". Cancer Friends of the Medical Community. 2021-11-04
[6] "Targeted Drugs and Medication Collection, hurry up to collect them so as not to step on the pit!" 》.Medical Cancer Association.2021-02-08
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