Should drug labels include information on how the meds compare with other treatments for same conditions?
That’s a question a group of Stanford University Medical School researchers are asking, and they are calling on the FDA to require that information -- even if there is no evidence that the new drug is more effective than older treatments. Read more
The idea, they say, is patients and insurers would be less likely to pay for newer treatments without evidence of improved outcomes.
Considering the new treatments are more costly than the older generics, would this comparative data help reduce healthcare costs?
With the FDA approving hundreds of medications a year, it's hard for physicians to know where to get reliable information. And considering the debate on how to reduce costs in the system, this seemed like an interesting item.
What do you think?
Thursday, August 13, 2009
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Absolutely!!!!
ReplyDeleteAnd let's go even farther. I'd love to see a requirement that outcome data for medications is required in labeling and for approval. I don't care if a pill X lowers HbA1c as well as pill Y and better than placebo, I want to know how it does preventing MI, CVA, blindness.