Availability, Timeliness of Availability of New Cancer Drugs Vary
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter
THURSDAY, Oct. 10, 2024 -- Across countries, there are considerable disparities in the availability and timeliness of availability of new cancer drugs, according to a study published online Oct. 8 in BMJ Global Health.
Meng Li, Ph.D., from Tufts Medical Center in Boston, and colleagues examined the availability and timeliness of availability of new cancer drugs between 1990 and 2022. The number of new drugs launched in each country and delay in launches were calculated.
The researchers identified 568 cancer drugs that were launched for the first time globally between 1990 and 2022. Of these, 35, 22, 15, and 28 percent were launched in only one country, in two to five countries, in six to 10 countries, and in more than 10 countries by 2022, respectively. During this period, the number of new drugs launched in a country ranged from 0 to 345. From the first global launch to the second, third, fourth, and fifth launch, the average delays were 18.0, 24.3, 32.5, and 39.4 months, respectively. More launches and shorter delays were seen in association with higher Gross National Income per capita and cancer incidence, respectively.
"Despite considerable progress in the discovery and development of new cancer medicines in recent decades, many of these medicines remained unavailable many years after their first global launch or were only available after long delays," the authors write. "This disparity underscores the need for policy solutions to provide more equitable access to cancer medicines globally."
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted October 2024
Read this next
Helping Others Linked to Higher Level of Cognitive Function
THURSDAY, Aug. 21, 2025 -- Helping others, both via formal volunteering and informal helping, is associated with higher levels of cognitive function and slower cognitive decline...
TAR-200 Monotherapy Promising for BCG-Unresponsive Bladder Cancer
THURSDAY, Aug. 21, 2025 -- For patients with Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG)-unresponsive high-risk non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC), an intravesical...
Work-Related Income Drops for Parents of Children Diagnosed With Type 1 Diabetes
THURSDAY, Aug. 21, 2025 -- Work-related income decreases sharply for mothers and fathers of children diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, with similar effects across sociodemographic...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.