MP on oral cancer treatment is ‘major breakthrough’, says expert

The president of the Brazilian Society of Oncology, Paulo Hoff, classified the provisional measure (MP) that forces health plans to cover oral cancer drugs as “a major advance.”

The text was approved by the Chamber of Deputies last Thursday (10), after approval in the Senate with changes. Now, the project will go to presidential sanction.

In an interview with CNNHoff said that oral treatment is “a revolution” for treating the disease and that the MP “will accelerate the availability of drugs.”

“It’s a big step forward from what we had. It provides that Anvisa’s evaluation will be carried out within 6 months and the ANS have, after approval, 10 days to make it available”, he explained, remembering that the time, before, could reach 3 years.

The president of the Brazilian Society of Oncology said that this is an important evolution: “We started with chemotherapy, which treated all types of cancer in the same way. Now, we come to molecular treatment, which recognizes that tumors have different origins and acts on that origin. Precisely these treatments have come in the oral form.”

Hoff points out that the drugs decrease toxicity and improve effectiveness for the patient. However, he admits that the cost is still too high and that “it should also be debated.”

The oncologist also reinforced that cancer, today, “is no longer a death sentence”: “We have a much better perspective than in the past, more than 60% of diagnosed patients will be cured.”

He made the reservation that early detection is essential for the “more efficient and cheaper” treatment, since oral medication is usually used for more advanced cases of the disease.

Source: CNN Brasil

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