As if Dendreon doesn’t have enough problems. A new survey shows that 68 percent of payers believe utilization for its controversial Provenge prostate cancer vaccine will remain flat over the next to six to nine months. And 69 percent say the true cost is anywhere from $101,000 to $120,000, when factoring in lab tests, administrative costs and lost productivity, as opposed to the $93,000 price tag. Meanwhile, 79 percent of payers report low uptake among physicians. Of that group, 60 percent also believe that many physicians are not yet prescribing Provenge. Why? They listed limited clinical value; high cost; a lack of physician confidence in the vaccine; a lack of qualifying patients and an insufficient number of cancer centers willing to administer Provenge.
