News Highlight
The Rajya Sabha Standing Committee on Health expressed worry about the high cost of cancer drugs, adding the government may move forward by utilising Section 100 of the Patents Act.
Key Takeaway
- In a recent report, the Rajya Sabha Standing Committee on Health focused on the skyrocketing costs of cancer medications and their ramifications, which have repeatedly been discussed worldwide.
- About 40% of cancer hospitalisations are paid for primarily via loans, asset sales, and donations from friends and family.
- The Committee has thus drawn attention to the importance of issues with cancer treatment, with an expected 1.4 million new cases of the disease in India in 2020.
- While the five-year survival rates for breast cancer are thought to be 65% and 45%, respectively, in India and South Africa, they are close to 90% in high-income nations.
Cancer
- About
- A vast range of disorders can begin in practically any organ or tissue of the body and spread to other organs when aberrant cells develop uncontrollably and extend beyond their natural bounds.
- Oncology is the name of the medical speciality that focuses on identifying, treating, and studying cancer, and an oncologist is a doctor who practises in this area.
- Treatment
- Surgery:
- As much cancer as possible is surgically removed.
- Chemotherapy:
- Firstly, it uses drugs toxic to cells to kill cancer cells that divide quickly.
- Regardless of the organ site and clinical degree, most cancer patients were started on cancer-directed treatment within 8 to 30 days after diagnosis.
- Radiation therapy:
- It destroys cancer cells by using strong, focused radiation beams inside (brachytherapy) or outside (external beam radiation) your body.
- Stem Cell (Bone Marrow) Transplant:
- Firstly, it replaces unhealthy stem cells in the damaged bone marrow.
- In addition, undifferentiated stem cells can perform a wide range of tasks.
- Targeted Drug Therapy:
- It uses medications to disrupt certain chemicals that support the growth and survival of cancer cells.
- Surgery:
Cancer Burden in India
- According to the National Cancer Registry Programme Report 2020
- According to estimates, 3.7 lakh cancer associated with tobacco use will account for 27.1% of all cancer cases in 2020.
- By 2025, India’s expected number of cancer cases will likely rise by 12% to 15.6 lakh, from the current forecast.
- In India, 1 in 10 people will develop cancer at some point, and 1 in 15 will pass away from it.
- Furthermore, in India, oral cancer is the most common cancer among men and is mainly attributed to tobacco use.
Unaffordable cancer drugs: Justifications by pharma companies
- Firstly, the interplay of two related factors can explain the high costs of breast cancer medicines.Â
- The argument was advanced by the large pharmaceutical companies.
- In addition, the WHO observed that spending on research and development might have little or no relationship with how pharmaceutical companies set cancer medicine prices.
- Companies set prices with an eye to maximising profits, thus denying patients from taking advantage of medical breakthroughs.
- Furthermore, intellectual property protection is a second factor that allows companies to sustain their high-profit margins.
How will it affect?
- Firstly, the lack of access to these critical medicines has not only pushed the life of patients and their families into deep financial stress.
- In addition, it jeopardised their life’s right to live with dignity, a fundamental right guaranteed under Article 21 of the Indian Constitution.
Way Forward
- The most apparent option is to authorise Indian companies to domestically produce high-priced cancer medicines by granting compulsory licences (CLs) in keeping with Sections 84 and 92 of the Patients Act.
- Because of concerns, Rajya Sabha’s Standing Committee on Health expressed regarding the high prices of cancer medicines, invoking the provisions of Section 100 seems to be the best way forward.
Pic Courtesy: freepik
Content Source: The Hindu