Thank you to all who wrote to government officials about the Medicare reimbursement policies for the radio- immunotherapy drugs, Bexxar and Zevalin (see November 14th, below). It seems the flurry of lobbying activity has had some effect. It’s too early to declare victory, but there are some encouraging signs.The Lymphoma Research Foundation reports, on their website, that the Senate Finance Committee leadership is preparing a Medicare and Medicaid measure that will be considered by the full committee next week. It includes a one-year freeze on reimbursement levels for Bexxar and Zevalin.
It takes a lot of money to develop a new drug. Some is put up by the pharmaceutical company during research and development. The rest is paid afterwards, by consumers and their insurance companies. It’s scary to think that effective medicines could be pulled from the market if insurance reimbursements drop too low.
Let’s hope that won’t be the case with Bexxar and Zevalin.
