There's been a lot of scrutiny around price, especially in oncology. As you focus on that disease area, how does that shape
your views on pricing?
We're passionate about going down the path of really deciding which medicines are right for which groups of patients, doing
clinical trials with those patient populations—smaller trials—and getting faster approval. Even if a drug has 60-percent
efficacy, it still means you're treating 40 percent of patients unnecessarily. Not every myeloma is the same, and figuring
out the right drug for each manifestation of the disease is going to be critical. Because then patients know they're getting
something that works. The system will also be better able to absorb the cost, because you're treating the patients that are
going to get results.
Deborah Dunsire, MD joined Millennium in July 2005 from Novartis, where she led the US oncology business. During her time there, she helped
develop and launch a number of Novartis products, including Zometa, Femara, and Gleevec. She also has worked as a clinical
researcher and practicing physician. She graduated from the medical school of the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa.
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