How are drugs like Avastin and Erbitux covered in Italy?
In public hospitals, they are paid for by the state; at the moment there are no limitations on treating patients with these drugs if they fall into the inclusion criteria approved by the National Committee on Drugs. Is it ever acceptable to deny access to very high cost anti-cancer drugs? It should not be acceptable from an ethical point of view; nevertheless, not many countries can afford to give these treatments to every patient who needs them, if the related benefit is not clear. Also, in Italy, the health system is divided on the basis of the administrative region and some of the regions are in an economic deficit that does not allow them to offer the most expensive treatment options available. Should a cost-benefit analysis be applied to drugs that offer a few months of extra life? In the cancer field, even a few months of life can be extremely valuable for the patients and their families. One should always offer the best therapeutic option if it can be economically supported. Per
