Committing your biotechnology giant to “the best interests of patients,” as Genentech CEO Arthur Levinson does on its his company’s Web page, is certainly a fine sentiment.
But what if you restrict use of a drug used by many elderly individuals to ward off encroaching blindness? That’s what Genentech did last week, when it announced new limitations on the distribution of its cancer drug Avastin. That drug is a certifiable hit — and dirt cheap — also treated macular degeneration, a progressive eye disease of the elderly.
The problem for Genentech is that it also sells a newer and far more expensive related drug called Lucentis, which runs close to $2,000 per monthly shot. By contrast, Avastin, only cost about $40 a shot. Read the story about why Genentech has limited the use of that cheaper, very successful drug, by David Hamilton, of VentureBeat LifeSciences. It’s dispiriting.
