Availability, Timeliness of Availability of New Cancer Drugs Vary

THURSDAY, Oct. 10, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- 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."

Abstract/Full Text