Letter to the editor on Cancer Drug Parity Act- Thanks, Sen. Moran

Sen. Jerry Moran deserves praise for his sponsorship and support of the Cancer Drug Parity Act. As a practicing cancer physician, I can attest that this bipartisan effort will save lives of many Americans who suffer from cancer.

In many ways, oral chemotherapy represents modern medicine at its best. These drugs are dramatically more effective and with fewer side effects. With this success, more oral cancer drugs, currently 25 percent could become 50 percent in the next 25 years.

Oral cancer and intravenous cancer drugs are covered under different portions of the patient’s insurance plan. My patients often have little to no co-pay for an intravenous drug, but with an oral chemotherapy drug they often face large out-of-pocket costs. Many patients are denied optimal therapy for their condition due to an inability to pay.

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