Why Herceptin and not Tykerb?

[gdpawel]

I've read about the FDA citing GSK for downplaying risks of Tykerb, while exaggerating the benefits, in letters to doctors. This wouldn't be the first time that information was left out of GSK's marketing letters to doctors.

Although oral tyrosine kinase inhibitors, like Tykerb, offer patients a well-tolerated, conveniently administered alternative to intravenous (IV) therapy, Decisions Resources, one of the world's leading research and advisory firms for pharmaceutical and healthcare issues, found that oncologists are not yet ready to use Tykerb as a replacement for Herceptin.

Ninety-one percent of surveyed oncologists stated that intravenous (IV) cancer therapies are more profitable than oral therapies. And fifty-eight percent of oncologists say they would favor IV Herceptin over oral Tykerb because administration of IV drugs remains an important source of income for their practices.

Medical oncologists should be taken out of the retail pharmacy business and force them be doctors again. Selling cancer chemotherapy with concessions creates conflicts of interest for oncologists.