Cancer Vaccines Continue To Show Promise
I have to applaud the patience and diligence of the folks running Dendreon (Nasdaq:DNDN). After years of setbacks and complications (including three Phase 3 studies), the company and its investors finally saw the big payoff as the FDA approved the first-ever cancer vaccine - Provenge.
With Provenge now on the market, and the squabbling and speculating about reimbursement fully underway, the question moves to who might be next to advance a cancer vaccine to the market. Is this really a major new avenue of oncology, or is it a small access road along the bigger highway of traditional drugs?
For the complete column, please go to:
http://stocks.investopedia.com/stock-analysis/2010/Cancer-Vaccines-Continue-To-Show-Promise-DNDN-SNY-GSK-VICL-CLDX-PFE-GERN0707.aspx
2 comments:
Steve, I fail to see why so many analysts are focused on the reimbursement cost for Provenge as a stand alone cost.
What would you prefer, the flu, or vomiting, nausea, hair loss, ulcers, months of missed work etc??
What is the cost associated with the difference? What is the quality of life?
Perhaps when the analyst ocmmunity finally realizes what the patient community already knows, some better quality reports will emerge.
don
@ Donald -
The issue is not that vaccines like Provenge are not better.
Rather, the issue is QALY (quality-adjusted life years) - does spending $90,000 to add a few months of survival make economic sense?
Like it or not, this country is likely to find that spending $90K and getting a few extra months is not a trade-off that the health care system can afford.
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