New Tufts study on oncology market access

U.S. Cancer Patients Get Faster Access to More Oncology
Drugs than European Patients

BOSTON — July 10, 2012 — Cancer patients in the United States get faster
access to more oncology drugs to treat their disease than patients in Europe,
according to a newly completed study by the Tufts Center for the Study of Drug
Development.
In addition, the study found, new oncology drug approvals in the U.S.
outpaced European approvals by 33% between 2000 and 2011.
“While greater access to more treatment options is definitely a positive for
patients in the U.S., it is not clear if greater access leads to better health
outcomes,” noted Joshua P. Cohen, research assistant professor at Tufts CSDD who
conducted the analysis.
He said that the growing use of comparative effectiveness research, which
provides information on the relative strengths and weaknesses of different
medical technologies, could help close the gap between what is known and what is
done in pharmaceutical care.
“Although more oncology drugs are available in the U.S., and the costs for a
higher share of them are reimbursed, the evidence-based approach adopted by
European systems have improved the affordability of drugs in Europe that are
considered to be cost-effective,” Cohen said.
The study, reported in the July/August Tufts CSDD Impact Report and released
today, also found that:
*Between 2000 and 2011, 40 oncology drugs received market approval in the
U.S. compared to 30 in Europe.
*Oncology drug prices in Europe, on average, are 9% lower than in the
U.S.
*Patient cost sharing is much lower in Europe than the U.S., where the
average co-insurance rate per covered drug is 33%.

About the Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development
The Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development (http://csdd.tufts.edu) at
Tufts University provides strategic information to help drug developers,
regulators, and policy makers improve the quality and efficiency of
pharmaceutical development, review, and utilization. Tufts CSDD, based in
Boston, conducts a wide range of in-depth analyses on pharmaceutical issues and
hosts symposia, workshops, and public forums, and publishes Tufts CSDD Impact
Reports, a bi-monthly newsletter providing analysis and insight into critical
drug development issues.
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Contacts: Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development
Sandra Peters —
617-636-2185
[email protected]