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Politics : Formerly About Advanced Micro Devices -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: i-node who wrote (531921)	11/23/2009 2:07:43 PM
From: Road Walker	2 Recommendations Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 1575311

It doesn't work like the show suggested at all. Medicare is not allowed to consider the cost of a medication in determining whether to pay for it; the decision is based on effectiveness, NOT "cost-effectiveness". Exactly, as they said in the program last night. You know why? It couldn't have anything to do with the drug company lobby could it? The key learning from last nights program.... death panels are good. If you want to do stupid things to extend life for a very short period of time do it on your own dime.

To: i-node who wrote (531921)	11/23/2009 2:27:27 PM
From: Road Walker	Respond to of 1575311

The "average of 2 months" or for Avastin, "5 months", is bullshit. "Avastin has become one of the most popular cancer drugs in the world, with sales last year of about $3.5 billion, $2.3 billion of that in the United States. But there is another side to Avastin. Studies show the drug prolongs life by only a few months, if that. And some newer studies suggest the drug might be less effective against cancer than the Food and Drug Administration had understood when the agency approved its uses." nytimes.com