CMS’ Review of Provenge Coverage Unnecessary, Dendreon Says

A Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ review of whether it should pay for Dendreon’s prostate cancer treatment Provenge has sparked a debate about the treatment’s cost and side effects, as well as pleas from those urging coverage for the novel treatment. In its comments on the national coverage analysis, Dendreon says the active cellular immunotherapy treatment should never have undergone a review in the first place. Meanwhile, the American Society of Clinical Oncology insists federal law requires that Medicare approve Provenge and other anti-cancer chemotherapy regimens for coverage once they are approved by the FDA.
Drug Industry Daily