Government
ASCO asks Medicare to drop anemia drug limits
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted Sept. 17, 2007
The American Society of Clinical Oncology officially asked federal officials to lift Medicare's recently finalized restrictions on the coverage of anemia drugs in cancer patients. In a written request, ASCO said the new rules on the anemia drugs epoetin and darbepoetin restrict physicians' ability to give their cancer patients the best treatment possible. Medicare will continue covering the medications for patients whose anemia is caused by chemotherapy, but only under strict conditions, such as when a patient's hemoglobin levels go below 10g/dL.
In recent months, safety concerns with the drugs, which have been linked to heart attacks and strokes in some patients, have prompted the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to try to rein in potential overuse by physicians.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2007/09/17/gvbf0917.htm.