US Medicare starts review for "national" coverage policy for Provenge
This article was originally published in Scrip
Executive Summary
The US agency overseeing Medicare, which covers treatment for those aged over 65 years, has begun a 12-month evaluation process – on a national level – to determine in which cases it will cover use of Dendreon's therapeutic cancer vaccine for prostate cancer, Provenge (sipuleucel-T). The move took investors by surprise, and shares in the company fell more than 20% before rebounding.