ABSTRACT

Introduction: Oncology expenditure is outperforming all other health care sectors. In particular, the cost of oncology pharmaceuticals is soaring as it is fueled both by incremental costs and the introduction rate of new products. Due to the particularities of cancer as a disease, a significant multilayer of pressure is exerted toward the reimbursement of new treatments. Nevertheless, if the expenditure increase is left unattended, it may hamper the viability of any health care system worldwide.

Areas covered: A literature review of the expenditure on oncology pharmaceuticals and the exploration of the root causes for the increase in expenditure was performed.

Expert commentary: The surging oncology expenditure demonstrates a multi-layer causality that encompasses prices, the uncertainty of clinical trials, the specificities of cancer as a disease, and the artificial monopoly of oncology modalities. Moreover, laxity in the regulatory approval of new products was noted. In addition, the study design should be adequately justified. Finally, new reimbursement schemes, that explicitly reward and promote clinically meaningful and measurable outcomes, are also imperative.

摘要

简介： 肿瘤学支出优于所有其他医疗保健部门。特别是，肿瘤药物的成本飙升，因为它受到增量成本和新产品推出率的推动。由于癌症作为一种疾病的特殊性，对新疗法的报销施加了多重压力。然而，如果对支出的增加置若罔闻，可能会妨碍全球任何医疗保健系统的生存。

涵盖范围： 对肿瘤药物支出进行了文献回顾，并探索了支出增加的根本原因。

专家评论： 肿瘤学支出的激增表明了多层次的因果关系，包括价格、临床试验的不确定性、癌症作为一种疾病的特异性以及肿瘤学模式的人为垄断。此外，还注意到新产品的监管审批松懈。此外，研究设计应充分论证。最后，明确奖励和促进具有临床意义和可衡量结果的新报销计划也势在必行。