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SUMMARY:Economics of Cancer Medicines - Professor Richard Sullivan\, Guy's
  Hospital\, London
DTSTART:20130611T110000Z
DTEND:20130611T120000Z
UID:TALK43071@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Mala Jayasundera
DESCRIPTION:Cancer is the most important economic disease facing developed
  countries. The world wide cost of cancer due to premature death and disab
 ility (not including direct medical costs) has been estimated to be $895 b
 illion USD (in 2008 figures). This is not simply about absolute numbers bu
 t also the rate of increase of expenditure on cancer. What are the drivers
  and solutions to the ‘cancer cost curve’ in developed countries? How 
 are we going to afford to deliver high quality and equitable care? The dri
 vers of these costs are multiple – demographic\, techno-cultural and mac
 ro-economic.  Multiple drivers of cost such as over-utilisation\, rapid ex
 pansion and shortening ‘life cycles’ of cancer technologies (medicines
 \, imaging modalities etc)\; the lack of suitable clinical research and in
 tegrated health economic studies\, to name but a few\, have converged with
  more defensive medical practice\, a less informed regulatory system\, a l
 ack of evidenced based socio-political debate and a declining ethos of fai
 rness for all cancer patients.   Urgent solutions to this state of affairs
  range from the re-engineering of the macro-economic basis of cancer costs
 \, e.g. coverage with evidence development and value-based approaches to 
 ‘bend the cost curve’ and allow cost saving technologies to actually g
 ain traction\, greater education of policy-makers\, and an informed and tr
 ansparent regulatory system. A radical shift in cancer group think is also
  required. Political acceptance that unfairness in access to affordable ca
 ncer treatment is unacceptable\, as well as a need for the cancer professi
 on and industry to take responsibility and not to accept sub-standard evid
 ence base\, an ethos of minimal benefit at whatever cost\, and the deliver
 y of fair prices and real value from new technologies.    
LOCATION:CRI Lecture Theatre
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