The need to make cancer drugs affordable

Context:

The Rajya Sabha’s standing committee on health has dwelled into a report, “Cancer Care Plan and Management” highlighting the spiralling costs of cancer medicines and their implications.

Impact on survival rates

• Survival Rates in Breast cancer: The five-year survival rate in India and South Africa are about 65% and 45%, respectively, in contrast, in high-income countries, it is nearly 90%.
• Affordability: Standard treatment for early-stage breast cancer would be equivalent to about 10 years of average annual wages in India and South Africa and 1.7 years in the United States.
• Drug Cost: Monthly cost of drugs belonging to the therapeutic class of CDK (cyclin-dependent kinase) which slows the spread of cancer cells in the body costs around ?48,000 and ?95,000.