Related Experiment Video

Updated: Feb 25, 2026

Assessing Specificity of Anticancer Drugs In Vitro
09:39

Assessing Specificity of Anticancer Drugs In Vitro

Published on: March 23, 2016

9.9K

The lawsuits to antineoplastic drugs: the tip of an iceberg?

Thaís Jeronimo Vidal1, Elaine Lazzaroni Moraes1, Maely Peçanha Favero Retto1

  • 1Instituto Nacional de Câncer. R. Marquês de Pombal 125/3º, Centro. 20230-240 Rio de Janeiro RJ Brasil. thaisjvidal@gmail.com.

Ciencia & Saude Coletiva
|August 10, 2017
PubMed

Insights

Lawsuits for antineoplastic drugs are costly. Analysis revealed issues with drug registration, off-label use, and guideline adherence, indicating a need for better decision-making strategies in cancer care.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Health Economics
  • Pharmaceutical Policy

Background:

  • Litigation involving antineoplastic drugs presents significant financial burdens for governments.
  • Ensuring efficient healthcare outcomes and adequate treatment requires thorough analysis of these legal cases.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To analyze court cases concerning antineoplastic drugs submitted to a reference cancer treatment institute.
  • To evaluate key aspects of these cases, including drug characteristics and alignment with health policies.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective analysis of 158 court cases involving 35 antineoplastic drugs from July 1 to December 31, 2013.
  • Data collected included therapeutic subgroups, essential drug list status, drug registration, off-label use, clinical practice guideline indications, Brazilian Health System incorporation, and estimated case values.

Main Results:

  • Protein kinase inhibitors were the most frequent (31.4%).
  • Ten drugs (28.6%) were on the essential drugs list, three lacked sanitary registration, and ten had off-label use indications.
  • 56.7% were supported by clinical practice guidelines, and four drugs were recommended for incorporation.

Conclusions:

  • Existing technical and sanitary instruments appear insufficient for informed decision-making in cancer drug litigation.
  • Strategies are needed to reduce inconsistencies and ensure comprehensive cancer care, addressing issues like off-label use and registration gaps.

More Related Videos

Drug-Induced Senescence in Liver Cells Promotes M2 Macrophage Polarization: Implications for Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor-Associated Hepatotoxicity09:32

Drug-Induced Senescence in Liver Cells Promotes M2 Macrophage Polarization: Implications for Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor-Associated Hepatotoxicity

Published on: October 17, 2025

580
Establishment and Characterization of Patient-Derived Xenograft Models of Anaplastic Thyroid Carcinoma and Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma06:08

Establishment and Characterization of Patient-Derived Xenograft Models of Anaplastic Thyroid Carcinoma and Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Published on: June 2, 2023

2.4K

Related Concept Videos

Combination Therapies and Personalized Medicine02:50

Combination Therapies and Personalized Medicine

Combining two or more treatment methods increases the life span of cancer patients while reducing damage to vital organs or tissue from the overuse of a single treatment. Combination therapy also targets different cancer-inducing pathways, thus reducing the chances of developing resistance to treatment.
The combination of the drug acetazolamide and sulforaphane is a good example of combination therapy to treat cancer. The cells in the interior of a large tumor often die due to the hypoxic and...
6.2K
Chemotherapy-Induced Nausea and Vomiting: 5-HT3 Receptor Antagonists01:27

Chemotherapy-Induced Nausea and Vomiting: 5-HT3 Receptor Antagonists

5-HT3 receptor antagonists, such as dolasetron, granisetron (Kytril), ondansetron (Zofran), and palonosetron (Axoli), are crucial in managing chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) and postoperative nausea. These drugs selectively block 5-HT3 receptors in the visceral vagal and spinal afferent nerves, chemoreceptor trigger zone, and the vomiting center. They have a rapid onset of action and can be given as a single dose before chemotherapy. Ondansetron and granisetron, in particular,...
740
Targeted Cancer Therapies02:57

Targeted Cancer Therapies

The targeted cancer therapies, also known as “molecular targeted therapies,” take advantage of the molecular and genetic differences between the cancer cells and the normal cells. It needs a thorough understanding of the cancer cells to develop drugs that can target specific molecular aspects that drive the growth, progression, and spread of cancer cells without affecting the growth and survival of other normal cells in the body.
There are several types of targeted therapies against...
9.0K
Treatment Resistant Cancers02:56

Treatment Resistant Cancers

Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States. A cancer cell is genetically unstable and hence can mutate faster. They can also modify their microenvironment and escape immune surveillance. The difficulties in treating cancer are further compounded by the emergence of rapid resistance to anticancer drugs. The most common ways to attain resistance in cancer cells include alteration in drug transport and metabolism, modification of drug target, elevated DNA damage response, or...
3.8K
Cancer02:18

Cancer

Cancers arise due to mutations in genes involved in the regulation of cell division, which leads to unrestricted cell proliferation. Modern science and medicine have made great strides in the understanding and treatment of cancer, including eradicating cancer in some patients. However, there is still no cure for cancer. This is largely due to the fact that cancer is a large group of many diseases.
54.8K
Chemotherapy-Induced Nausea and Vomiting: Neurokinin-1 Receptor Antagonists01:28

Chemotherapy-Induced Nausea and Vomiting: Neurokinin-1 Receptor Antagonists

Neurokinin 1 (NK1) receptors are distributed across the GI tract, vagal afferents, and key CNS regions including the central vomiting center and chemoreceptor trigger zone (CTZ) Chemotherapy agents stimulate enterochromaffin cells in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract to release large amounts of substance P (SP). SP is a neuropeptide released by specific sensory nerves in response to many different stressors, including those in the GI mucosa affected by chemotherapy.  SP binds and activates...
683