By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    physical health
    5 Ways Playing Games Can Improve Neural and Physical Health
    September 9, 2022
    Reasons For Hair Loss and Its Treatment
    Reasons For Hair Loss and Its Treatment
    February 16, 2022
    healthcare organization
    5 Actionable Strategies For Healthcare Organizations
    August 15, 2022
    Latest News
    7 Most Common Healthcare Accreditation Programs: Which Should You Use?
    August 20, 2025
    Hospital Pest Control and the Fight Against Superbugs
    August 20, 2025
    Hygiene Beyond The Clinic: Attention To Overlooked Non-Clinical Spaces
    August 13, 2025
    5 Steps to a Promising Career as a Healthcare Administrator
    August 3, 2025
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    4 Reasons Chris Cornell’s Death Raises Medical Ethics Questions
    December 19, 2018
    What If You Could Sell Your Vote?
    August 24, 2017
    The Sleepy American
    September 12, 2017
    Latest News
    How Social Security Disability Shapes Access to Care and Everyday Health
    August 22, 2025
    How a DUI Lawyer Can Help When Your Future Health Feels Uncertain
    August 22, 2025
    How One Fall Can Lead to a Long Road of Medical Complications
    August 22, 2025
    How IT and Marketing Teams Can Collaborate to Protect Patient Trust
    July 17, 2025
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Right Result, Wrong Reason: VA Boots Avastin For Wet AMD
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Business > Right Result, Wrong Reason: VA Boots Avastin For Wet AMD
Business

Right Result, Wrong Reason: VA Boots Avastin For Wet AMD

DavidEWilliams
DavidEWilliams
Share
3 Min Read
SHARE

I’m a big fan of cost containment in health care. But I’m dead set against using a $50 shot of Avastin in place of a $2000 shot of Lucentis even if safety and efficacy are the same. Why? Because it has a chilling effect on innovation.

I’m a big fan of cost containment in health care. But I’m dead set against using a $50 shot of Avastin in place of a $2000 shot of Lucentis even if safety and efficacy are the same. Why? Because it has a chilling effect on innovation.

To make a long story short, Avastin is a highly-effective anti-cancer drug. Lucentis is basically the same drug, but it’s indicated for an ophthalmic condition: wet age-related macular degeneration. Since Lucentis is injected in the eye only a little bit is needed. Some enterprising doctors and pharmacists figured out they could split up one Avastin dose into lots of Lucentis doses. Instead of $2000 or so for a Lucentis treatment they have an Avastin equivalent for about $50.

In the short run only Genentech –maker of both Avastin and Lucentis– loses out. Patients get a much less expensive drug and insurance premiums are a little lower than they would be otherwise. But it’s also shown the world that the price point for a wet AMD treatment is $50 or so. As a result, drugmakers are reluctant to develop products in this therapeutic area because they are afraid they can’t make money.

More Read

Image
Beyond the Buzz: What the New Twitter Profile Means for Healthcare Marketing
Aetna and CVS Brand a Prescription Drug Plan
Seeking Holy Grail: Quest for Stem Cells from Embryos Continues
Engaging Consumers for Improved Cost, Quality and Outcomes
Women in Healthcare – It Is Time to Tell Your Story – XX in Health Week Starts 7/30

The problem is really the way that drugs are priced. Avastin is priced by volume, but really what patients are getting is a treatment for cancer that’s worth a certain amount of money, regardless of the amount of physical product used.

Now safety concerns are emerging over the use of Avastin in the eye. These could easily be the result of problems with the compounding pharmacies. Nonetheless, the Veterans Administration for one has decided to stop substituting Avastin for Lucentis. As soon as that was announced, the stock price for Regeneron –maker of a Eylea, a new drug for wet AMD– jumped 9 percent, which supports my point about the impact on innovation. You can bet the VA action also increased the likelihood that companies with wet AMD drugs at earlier stages of development will take them forward. I hope some of those drugs make it to market, offering new and better options for patients at a price somewhere above Avastin but below Lucentis.


TAGGED:AvastinLucentispharmaceuticalsWet AMD
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

travel nurse in north carolina
Balancing Speed and Scope: Choosing the Nursing Degree That Fits Your Goals
Nursing
September 1, 2025
intimacy
How to Keep Intimacy Comfortable as You Age
Relationship and Lifestyle Senior Care
September 1, 2025
engineer fitting prosthetic arm
How Social Security Disability Shapes Access to Care and Everyday Health
Health care
August 20, 2025
a woman explaining the document
How a DUI Lawyer Can Help When Your Future Health Feels Uncertain
Public Health
August 20, 2025

You Might also Like

Still Missing: Price Transparency in Healthcare

March 6, 2014

Listen Here! Should We Bribe People to be Healthy? The Philosophical Argument – a Brilliant Debate

April 18, 2012

Healthcare Technology Showcase and Learning Center in Washington DC

April 1, 2011
Physician Social Media Infographic via Nicola Ziady
BusinesseHealthHospital AdministrationSocial Media

What Social Media Site Is Your Doctor Networking on?

June 8, 2013
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?