Healthcare Institute Group will immediately scrap expensive cancer drugs from the basic package

A number of expensive drugs against breast and ovarian cancer will no longer be reimbursed from the basic package of the health insurance policy from Wednesday. That The Netherlands Care Institute announced. According to the Institute, new investigations into these so-called PARP inhibitors show that they do not « lead to a longer survival for all patient groups. » It is the first time that a group of cancer drugs is largely removed from the basic package after a reassessment.

PARP inhibitors are cancer drugs that can prevent damaged tumor cells from repairing themselves. Some patients with specific gene mutation do respond well to the medicines. They retain access to the resources, reports the government organization. Patients who are already being treated may finish their therapy under a transitional arrangement. For new patients without a proven benefit, the reimbursement will stop immediately.

According to the chairman of the board of the Mark Janssen care institute, the institution wants to treat people alone with medicines « if they ensure healing, an extension of life or a better quality of life. » According to him, it is not desirable for patients to receive false hope or are exposed to side effects, without the drugs contributing to their recovery.

In addition, according to Janssen, it is important that the care budget is only spent on care that actually helps. « We can only spend once every euro once. »

In 2023, nearly 1,000 people used the PARP inhibitors. That cost society more than 30 million euros. The expectation is that the number of patients who can continue to use the medicines will halve. The released money can be used for other care.

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