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Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by the editors of HealthDay:
Huge Price Increases for Oral Cancer Drugs Since 2000: Study
Prices of oral cancer drugs in the United States have risen sharply since 2000, a new study finds.
The average cost of a new oral cancer drug introduced in 2000 was about $1,869 a month, compared with $11,325 a month for one approved in 2014, about six times higher, United Press International reported.
Gleevec had one of the largest price increases during that time, rising about 7.5 percent a year and increasing from $3,346 to $8,479 a month, according to the University of North Carolina researchers.
The study was published in the journal JAMA Oncology.
The researchers said the skyrocketing prices have occurred along with health insurance changes making patients bear more of the cost, and potentially making treatment unaffordable for some, UPI reported.
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FDA Reconsidering Training for Doctors Prescribing Painkillers
Mandatory safety training for doctors who prescribe powerful prescription painkillers is being reconsidered by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Next week, an FDA committee of outside experts will meet to review risk-management plans introduced nearly four years ago in an effort to reduce misuse of opioid painkillers responsible for a national crisis of abuse and death, the Associated Press reported.
Under current programs, drug companies fund voluntary training for doctors on how to safely prescribe these painkillers, but many experts -- including a previous FDA advisory committee - believe such training should be mandatory.
The FDA's own investigations "show mixed results that make it difficult to draw conclusions regarding the success of the program," according to briefing documents posted online, the AP reported.
The FDA will present its findings at the two-day meeting that begins next Tuesday. The advisory panel will consider the issue and make recommendations about the doctor training program. The FDA does not have to follow the panel's advice.
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Generic Crestor Approved by FDA
The first generic version of the cholesterol-lowering statin drug Crestor (rosuvastatin calcium) tablets was approved Friday by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.