Medicare Extends Coverage to Off Label Drugs

by Karenke4 | January 27, 2009 at 04:02 pm

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Medicare has widened its cancer coverage to include treatments not approved by the FDA. With this shift, cancer patients can benefit from the most current therapies. Opponents argue that they will also suffer due to under-tested medications and unknown side effects.

Cancer doctors had clamored for the changes, saying that some of these treatments, known as off-label uses, were essential if patients were to receive the most up-to-date care. But for many such uses there is scant clinical evidence that the drugs are effective, despite costing as much as $10,000 a month. Because the drugs may represent a patient’s last hope, though, doctors are often willing to try them.

Doctors also see this as an opportunity to understand drugs and their effect better as there is less red tape involved. And it is their hope that it will help them to save more lives.

Medicare officials defend the new policies, saying they respond to cancer doctors’ concerns that the agency has been too slow to recognize promising new off-label treatments.