Barriers to Widespread Access to Cancer Medications Include Excessive Cost

TUESDAY, Nov. 19, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Barriers to widespread access to cancer treatments include excessive cost and lack of affordability, according to a review published online Nov. 18 in Cancer.

Arafat H. Tfayli, M.D., from the American University of Beirut Medical Center, and colleagues conducted a systematic review to examine the current state of cancer drug development, assessing the availability of drugs in different income countries.

The researchers note that an increase in cancer cases worldwide is projected, especially in low-income countries, where most cancer-related deaths are expected. The approval rate of cancer treatments has increased, but significant barriers to widespread access are posed by their excessive cost and lack of affordability. Geographic location and procurement connections influence disparities in the costs of crucial cancer medications. Sharing production secrets, implementing price discrimination, international funding, improved primary health care measures, and implementation of cost-effective screening methods are potential solutions for addressing the inequity in drug distribution.

“Accessibility to effective cancer treatments needs to become a fundamental human right that transcends borders and one that could become economically affordable. All parties should collaborate to ensure that the principle of beneficence is well applied,” the authors write. “In the 21st century, it cannot and should not be a medical disadvantage to be born in a low‐income country.”

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