Many women in Maryland who have breast cancer must pay high prices for lifesaving prescription drugs. This report, which was prepared at the request of Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, investigates how these prices compare with the prices paid for the same drugs by women in other countries.
Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer among women in the United States.
This year, approximately 180,000 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer, and over 40,000 will die. Many of these women lack coverage for prescription drugs and face severe financial problems affording the medications that they need to survive. In Maryland, an estimated 3,700 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year, and 800 will die from the disease. This report analyzes the pricing of five brand-name prescription drugs that are commonly prescribed to treat breast cancer. Among the four foreign countries surveyed, Canada and France have the lowest prices for the five breast cancer drugs.