Blue Cross obstructs patient access to newest cancer drugs!

Amgen Corporation developed a new biological drug called VectiBix and demonstrated by clinical trial that the drug was capable of extending the life of colon cancer patients. That won them FDA approval for the use of VectiBix in cancer patients that were resistant to the usual chemotherapy drugs, 5-FU, LV, Oxaliplatin, and Irinotecan. Blue Cross of Southern California arbitrarily enacted a rule restricting patient access to the drug if a patient received a similar drug called Erbitux. They are assuming that patients with prior exposure to Erbitux would be resistant to an entirely different drug targeting the “same” tumor cell receptor. The assumption is scientifically absurd and Blue Cross knows it. However their rule of financial convenience has been effective in denying my and probably other cancer patient’s access to VectiBix and to the potential extension of life.

I inquired with Amgen if they were prepared to fight this ruling based on assumption and not on clinical trial and they turned belly up and said no. I suspect that they don’t want to make waves that could possibly anger Blue Cross into denying reimbursement for their other more lucrative products such as Neulasta, Neupogen and Erythropoietin. While discussing this ridiculous rule with another medical oncologist he remarked that he had a patient who was resistant to the effects of Erbitux and when he switched him to VectiBix he enjoyed a tumor response. That basically proves my point. It’s time for a legal inquiry into the practices of Blue Cross of Southern California!

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