The debate over the extent to which doctors will embrace the Provenge prostate cancer vaccine shows no sign of abating. Last week, a survey found most insurers believe usage will remain flat over the next several months (see here). Now, another survey indicates most docs believe the survival benefit must be longer than shown in studies and financial concerns are also a factor. Specifically, 68 percent of 101 oncologists and urologists queried believe, that in order to prescribe Provenge or a similar life-extending treatment, the survival benefit must be seven months or more. And more than 30 percent say a medication needs to add at least one year of life, according to Sermo, the web site where docs like to dish (see this). The median survival benefit offered by the Dendreon vaccine, which costs $93,000, is 4.1 months.
