CLINICAL NEWS
Waging a War on the Wage Gap
Global Cancer Drug Prices: Who Pays
What and Where?
Female doctors are paid nearly 10 percent less than their male counterparts, regardless of experience,
specialty, and other factors, according to an analysis published in JAMA Internal Medicine.
Using annual salary information from 10,241 academic physicians (6,692 men and 3,549 women) at
24 public medical schools, the researchers found a
gap between male and female doctors: $257,957
for men and $206,641 for women, for an absolute
difference of $51,315.
$257,957
It’s no secret that the United States has higher cancer drug
prices than other countries, but the magnitude of these differences reported in an analysis of global cancer drug prices
may hold a few surprises.
These differences persisted even after adjustment for age, experience, faculty rank, specialty,
total publications, and clinical revenue: $247,661
for men and $227,783 for women, for an absolute difference of $19,878.
Researchers analyzed the price of monthly drug doses for
23 cancer drugs (15 of which are available generically) across
six countries (Australia, China, India, South Africa, the
United Kingdom, and the United States).
$247,661
They found U.S. drug prices were higher, for both brandname and generic drugs.
$227,783
$206,641
$300,000
10,000
800
700
$250,000
8,000
600
500
6,000
$200,000
400
4,000
300
200
2,000
$150,000
100
0
$100,000
HIGHEST
United
States
($8,694)
LOWEST
India
($1,515)
0
HIGHEST
United
States
($654)
LOWEST
South
Africa
($120)
Though the United States paid the most for cancer drugs,
these drugs were considered more affordable, based on
gross domestic product per capita (GDPcap). In the United
States, the average monthly price of cancer drugs amounted
to 192% of GDPcap, compared with 313% of GDPcap in India.
$50,000
$0
Source: Jena AB, Olenski AR, Blumenthal DM. Sex differences in physician salary in US public medical schools. JAMA Intern Med. 2016 July
11. [Epub ahead of print]
Growing by Leaps and Bounds
Compared with their counterparts from 60 years ago, children who survive cancer are living
much longer, healthier lives, according to a U.K. study. Study authors reviewed data for
34,489 survivors of childhood cancer who were diagnosed between 1940 and 2006.
Source: Goldstein DA, Clark J, Tu Y, et al. Global differences in cancer drug
prices: A comparative analysis. J Clin Oncol. 2016;34(suppl):LBA6500.
70%
70%
(beyond what would be expected
in the general population)
from recurrence or progression
of original cancer
fewer excess deaths
fewer deaths
Comparing patients treated after 1990 versus before 1970, the younger population had:
Survivors in the younger group also had
fewer health problems. For example, the
rate of excess deaths attributable to circulatory issues was 22% in survivors 50-59
years and 37% in survivors ≥60 years.
ASHClinicalNews.org
Better treatments and better monitoring
are to thank for this increase in survivorship, the authors of the study noted, with
improvements aligning with the developments of chemotherapy and bone marrow
transplants.
Source: Fidler MM, Reulen RC, Winter DL, et al. Long term cause specific mortality among 34 489 five year survivors
of childhood cancer in Great Britain: population based cohort study. BMJ. 2016 July 29. [Epub ahead of print]
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