Hi Everyone,
An Avastin update and some more bucket list items have been checked off. January 10, 2011, Business Week, published an article on Avastin. In my last update the FDA was removing its recommendation for Avastin in breast cancer due to the high risks and low life expectancy for patients. After our meeting with Dr. Bowers, she said she would keep recommending Avastin as long as the insurance company would continue to pay for it regardless of what the FDA said.
Here are some pertinent paragraphs from the Business Week article and the link if you would like to read the whole thing. http://www.businessweek.com/news/2011-01-10/insurers-back-roche-s-avastin-even-as-fda-says-it-doesn-t-work.html
“ Jan. 10 (Bloomberg) -- A decision by WellPoint Inc. and other insurers to keep paying for Avastin in breast cancer may help Roche Holding AG avoid a $1 billion drop in sales after U.S. regulators said the drug doesn’t treat the disease.
WellPoint, UnitedHealth Group Inc., Aetna Inc. and Humana Inc. say they’ll keep covering Avastin based on a recommendation by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network. The nonprofit alliance of oncologists, some of whom have disclosed financial ties to Roche, says it plans to keep recommending use of Avastin in breast cancer based on the current data.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration proposed withdrawing Avastin’s conditional approval on Dec. 16 and will review an appeal from Basel, Switzerland-based Roche before making a final decision. The reaction among insurers may be a case study in how they will resolve conflicting opinions in an era of targeted therapies that don’t work for everyone, said Len Lichtenfeld, the deputy chief medical officer at the American Cancer Society.
“Health insurers have been vilified for years now because of their policies” in covering drugs, Lichtenfeld said in a telephone interview from Atlanta. “It may be a matter of them choosing their battles.”
The National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines are recognized in more than 100 countries as standards in how to diagnose, treat and reduce the risk of cancer. Minnetonka, Minnesota-based UnitedHealth, the largest U.S. insurer by 2009 revenue, became the first company to base coverage on the recommendations in 2008. WellPoint, Hartford, Connecticut-based Aetna, and Louisville, Kentucky-based Humana followed.
One-third of the 27 members on the network’s advisory panel for breast cancer drugs have helped in clinical trials or consulted for Roche’s Genentech division, which developed Avastin, according to disclosures on the organization’s website. The advisory group is composed of oncologists, pathologists and a patient representative.
“The widespread acceptance and application of NCCN Guidelines” by insurers, doctors and patients “speaks to the recognition and acceptance of the transparency, credibility and authority” they have, McGivney said in an e-mail. “No other organization in medicine has attained this level of trust.”
WellPoint’s internal advisers who decide what cancer treatments to cover “recognize that the NCCN’s compendia on cancer care are strongly supported,” said Alan Rosenberg, vice president of medical policy for the Indianapolis-based insurer, in a telephone interview. “We consider carefully what the FDA looks at but we try to figure out what’s reasonable from a benefit perspective for our members.”
So why am I telling you this? Because our insurance company is Aetna, one of the companies mentioned who will keep paying for Avastin. J I’ll keep you posted on any new developments.
Now for the bucket list….
So I was catching up with one of my customers, Jeff Jelinski, who we just LOVE, and he’s looking at my bucket list and asks me why Bologna Days isn’t on the list. He sees Turkey Bingo with Nancie Pass and go to a Meat Raffle, but no mention of Bologna Days. Since I’ve never heard of Bologna Days I had to ask and here was his answer.
On Wednesdays in Genola, MN, there is a bar called the Red Rooster, got to love the name, which has all you can eat cooked bologna from 11:00am – 1:00pm for lunch. Get this; they serve it with buttered white bread, ketchup and mustard for $6.00. And, you must drink beer. My first thought was, sounds awful and a riot, I’m in! The next question from Jeff was “do you have any camo to wear?” and then he followed that up with, “please don’t show up in a suit”. I do not have any camo, I have jeans. Jeff and I headed over to the Red Rooster and I’ll be damned if every person in Genola was there eating bologna. No kidding there must have been 250+ people having lunch, drinking beer and wearing camo. It was beautiful! We had a ton of fun and believe it or not, the bologna was delicious! So its official, I’ve been to Bologna Days in Genola. Great, great fun! Thank you Jeff!
Two days later…..we went to a meat raffle. If you remember, I had never heard of a "Meat Raffle" until recently so of course I added it to the bucket list. This was also a ton of fun. Of course it snowed like Armageddon that night so some people who planned on coming couldn’t get across town but we had a great showing none the less.
We arrived at The Rail Station, we were late, the Mitchell’s and the Bartel’s scored a great table, and the meat raffle had already started. The various meats available were laid out on the pool table next to the wheel. Why wouldn't they be. Mostly steaks from what I could see. We bought in and didn’t win. Several rounds were like that. But the drinks were strong, the food was good and the company was even better. No complaints here.
I finally won! I picked out some beautiful rib eyes. After the meat was all gone they started raffling off gift certificates for meat. Nice! Mitch won the next round, a $20 gift certificate. Two rounds later, I won again! Another $20 gift certificate! Whoo hoo! Who doesn’t like meat?
It was a really fun evening with friends and meat. Thank you Mitch and Paula, Bart and Vickie, E.B. , Jim and Sue, Eddie, Liam, Big Mike, Robin, Nicky and Zach, Andrea and Nick and Jason. And my Anderson, thanks for getting me home safe and sound with my steaks and gift certificate. I love you guys!
So the bucket list adventures continue. I’ll keep you posted on my progress and bucket list fun as it unfolds. I hope this message finds you all well and I hope you are having a great day today!
Love to you all,
Jen
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