Response to proposal for a novel cancer drug pricing model

Abstract

In their recent News & Views article (Sustainability and affordability of cancer drugs: a novel pricing model. Nat. Rev. Clin.Oncol. 15, 405–406 (2018))1, Uyl- De Groot and Löwenberg outline a new universal algorithm for setting the price of new drugs in oncology. Their ambitious proposal is intended to standardize a complicated and fragmented pricing process. The international drug market is dynamic and diverse2. Having a universal pricing mechanism could indeed be helpful in addressing the imbalances in drug pricing and improve access to medicines for many patients, including those with nononcological diseases. However, we would like to point out some thoughts on the proposed algorithm.