As providers, drug companies tend to be evil, power houses that are in the game only for the profit. An article by Jonathan D. Rockoff published yesterday in the Wall Street Journal, however, seems to show a “softer” side of the companies.
Pfizer, Inc. was featured along with their new drug to treat certain types of breast cancer. It’s a pill called Ibrance, with a list price is $9850 per month. The article talks about several obstacles drug companies face with setting a price. First, there’s the market and creating a price that’s competitive yet comparable. Second, they have to make sure that they have the necessary funding to complete the Phase 3 trials required to bring the drug to market; which means, in other words, that the price can’t be *too* high or it will never get prescribed and won’t pay for the trial, but needs to be high enough to cover necessary costs. This delicate balance opens one’s eyes to the human side of pharmaceutical companies, the actual executives working to bring these drugs to market and subsequently into the patients’ medicine cabinets.
And this drug, of all drugs, has the potential to be a complete breakthrough in the treatment of breast cancer! The enlightening part of this article, for me, was of course the medicine. The author quotes Dr. Rothenberg who is so genuinely passionate about this drug that it gives a sense of warmth and hope. Doctors like him are using their skills and clinical knowledge to bring new and real, life saving treatment to reality.
With all the news recently about drug costs, this article was really an eye-opener for me as a Physician Assistant and prescriber. Read it for yourself here.