‘Off-label’ drugs get committee approval

Art Nadler

Thursday, April 29, 1999 | 12:45 p.m.

The Assembly Commerce and Labor Committee approved a bill Wednesday that will allow the crossover use of drugs for different forms of cancer treatment.

Senate Bill 56, referred to as the "off-label" bill, now goes to the Assembly for a vote. If passed, it will mandate that insurance companies allow doctors to prescribe drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration for one form of cancer therapy in treating other cancers.

Tom Wood, a drug company representative, said it takes $400 million to $500 million worth of testing to bring a drug onto the market. The process usually takes from 11 to 14 years, he said, and cancer patients can't wait that long.

"Medicare already recognizes this and allows off-labeling," said Dr. John Shields, president of the Nevada Oncology Society. "We want these drugs to be used where there is good scientific studies showing that they are effective."

For example, he said, one drug currently being used to treat pancreatic cancer has shown good results in treating lung and bladder cancer. There are several drugs like this, he said, that physicians would prescribe for their patients if insurance companies would pay.

SB56 stipulates that other uses of a cancer drug must be scientifically tested and reported in at least two recognized scientific or medical journals.

Mark Savage, a lobbyist for the American Cancer Society, said insurance companies routinely refuse to pay for off-label drug use. About 8,000 people are expected to be diagnosed with cancer this year in Nevada, he said.

Representatives from the insurance industry argue that SB56 would increase the costs of pharmacy benefits packages health maintenance organizations offer.

Marie Soldo, a lobbyist for the Nevada Association of Health Plans, earlier this month said insurance premiums are already expected to rise from 7 percent to 10 percent this year. She argued off-label drug usage would increase that cost.