LETTER to the Editor The importance of finding a cure Dear editor, I was happy to recently hear President Biden talk about the importance of finding a cure for cancer in his State of the Union …
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LETTER to the Editor
The importance of finding a cure
Dear editor, I was happy to recently hear President Biden talk about the importance of finding a cure for cancer in his State of the Union address. My husband lives with multiple myeloma, a cancer impacting plasma cells that affects hundreds of thousands of Americans.
While some treatments have extended patients’ survival in recent years, cancer is estimated to still cause more than 12,400 deaths each year in the United States. This statistic is haunting, even with access to innovative treatments. Currently, patients in the US have access to about 90% of new medications and therapeutics on the market. But if lawmakers move forward with passing laws like Medicare negotiation, American patients could face the same barriers as countries like Australia that have enacted similar government price controls. There, patients only have access to about 38% of those new medications.
Innovation and access to new treatments are both equally important. Jeopardizing either should be a nonstarter to prioritize saving lives and helping those impacted by cancer. Sincerely, Kathy Thompson
