Dr. Kolberg on Cost-Effectiveness of Pertuzumab in HER2-Positive Breast Cancer

Hans-Christian Kolberg, MD, doctor of Medicine, Marien Hospital Bottrop in Bottrop, Germany, discusses the cost-effectiveness of pertuzumab as a treatment for patients with HER2-positive breast cancer, based off of findings from a study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

In the study, the authors suggest that pertuzumab is not a cost-effective therapy for patients. However, Kolberg explains, the agent does demonstrate improved survival by 1.8 years, which the authors equated to totalling $100,000.

Kolberg says that targeted therapies, especially anti-angiogenic agents, are becoming more expensive. The question of how much money society is willing to spend on medication for longer survival and improved quality of life, however, should be a societal, ethical question—not a medical question.