Make new, innovative drugs accessible
The May 7 article, “New deals for drugs: No heart attack or your money back,” mentions the expensive cholesterol-lowering drugs Repatha and Praluent. These two drugs, along with most of the newer drugs for cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, osteoporosis, Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis are all monoclonal antibodies.
Monoclonal antibodies, like smart bombs, hit the target with precision, which is exact science. The trend of making monoclonal antibody drugs is inexorable. The days of making inexpensive and affordable drugs are behind us. Any innovative deals between the insurance and drug companies to make the drugs accessible to patients would be welcome.
The annual global sales of drugs made through monoclonal antibody techniques could reach hundreds of billions. Dr. George Kohler and Dr. Cesar Milstein developed the first monoclonal antibody in 1974, for which they were given the Lasker award, which recognizes the contributions of scientists, and Nobel Prizes in medicine in 1984. They made a huge impact on clinical medicine and yet they are not household names.
Jer-Yuan Tsai
Waynesburg