FDA Out-Rations the Europeans

The socialists and rationers at the European Union appear to be more sensitive to the plight of breast cancer patients that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) seeking to implement President Obama’s mandate to “reduce the cost of health care.”

In June 2010, a subpanel at the FDA recommended that the late-stage cancer drug Avastin be denied insurance and Medicare coverage for breast cancer patients. Cost was specifically mentioned as a reason for the decision. “De-labeling” the drug will save Medicare the burden of paying for the drug that can run $80,000 a year.

Despite protests from thousands of breast cancer patients who cannot afford the treatment without insurance, the FDA approved the panel’s recommendation in December. Patient groups like Susan B. Komen and Cancer101 have now entered the ring arguing that decision – if it becomes final – will have dramatic implications for the future of our health care system. They are pleading for the FDA to reverse itself.

Now the European Union health care advisory committee- a bastion of socialist medicine and open rationing of care – has found that Avastin in combination with chemotherapy helps women with metastatic breast cancer live longer without their disease worsening. That is exactly what American cancer patients and doctors have said all along.

The Wall Street Journal reports:

“The committee’s decision stands in stark contrast to the recent verdict by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which is wary of Avastin’s benefits for breast-cancer patients. While the FDA plans to revoke approval of Avastin, the U.S. regulator has granted Roche a hearing later this year, though analysts say the Swiss drug maker is unlikely to change the U.S. watchdog’s views. Patient groups are lobbying the FDA to change its stance as Avastin is one of the rare cancer drugs to help breast-cancer patients. Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women world-wide, with more than one million new cases diagnosed every year, killing nearly 400,000 people….The verdict by the European Commission–the EU’s executive arm–is unlikely to change the increasingly stricter drug-approval rules by regulators, analysts say.”

It’s clear that the “stricter” FDA will have dramatic impact on the future of America’s health care. Patients need more treatment options not less. Allowing patients access to a drug – if they can afford it – is a staple of government-run health care systems throughout the world. With regard to breast cancer patients, the FDA is out rationing the rationers.