Cancer Treatment Costs Still Block Many Patients
Cancer treatments have improved, but many patients still cannot afford to finish the full course their doctors prescribe. The government recently decided to cap trade margins on 137 identified non-scheduled anti-cancer medicines, a step aimed at easing costs. Affordability remains a major gap in care.
Context
Non-scheduled medicines are drugs outside the government's main official price list, so limits on seller margins are one of the few direct controls. Trade margin is the extra amount added by sellers between the maker and the patient.
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