November 2, 2002
From the desk of Jane Galt:Derek Lowe, who runs a
Derek Lowe, who runs a consistently outstanding blog on organic chemistry and pharma-related topics, has a fascinating piece on the much-anticipated brave new world of genetic testing for pharmaceutical effectiveness, which, it is hoped, will make it possible to prescribe for patients only the drugs which will work for them. Rather than trying six different drugs for cancer, depression, or obesity, doctors will be able to diagnose exactly what's going on on the genetic level, and prescribe accordingly.
Derek makes a really good point: this means that the target market for each drug will be smaller, and hence that the price will have to go up to recoup its costs.
He leaves it there, but I think there's an implication that this will increase drug costs and thus offer incentive for price controls. Not necessarily, however.
First of all, not all drugs are long-term use. For short-term use drugs, such testing can dramatically decrease their costs. A patient who wastes time and money trying six different forms of chemotherapy will be able to try one instead -- the one that's going to work. That's a big savings not just in drug costs, but in the associated health care.
Second of all, a lot of patients are stuck on multiple therapies just to be safe. Take a typical asthma sufferer. They're on steroids, multiple bronchiodilators, Singulair, and gosh knows what else. Genetic testing could help us diagnose who needs what much more effectively. The same goes for high blood pressure, diabetes, and any number of other long-term conditions. Moreover, by improving outcomes and experience with the drug, such targeting may well increase demand. So the good news is good news, until proven otherwise.
Posted by Jane Galt at November 2, 2002 1:18 PM | TrackBack | Technorati inbound links