FDA approved a revolutionary cancer drug. Insurance wasn't ready

Key Points:

• The FDA recently approved Rasonque, a pancreatic cancer drug shown to nearly double median overall survival, but the drug’s expanded access program closed immediately upon approval, complicating access for patients like Juan Solano who were relying on it.
• Commercial insurance coverage for Rasonque has been delayed, with some insurers taking weeks or months to add the drug to their formularies, leaving critically ill patients caught in a coverage gap during this transition.
• Juan Solano’s family faced significant hurdles and financial strain trying to obtain the drug through insurance, including numerous calls and initial denials, highlighting systemic challenges in accessing newly approved oncology drugs rapidly.
• Revolution Medicines offers a support program, (ON)PATH, to assist patients during the transition to commercial access, but limitations in insurer processes and prior authorization requirements have hindered timely patient access.
• Advocates and experts emphasize the need for policy reforms to expedite insurance coverage after FDA approvals, especially for deadly diseases like pancreatic cancer where timely treatment access is critical.