How we will treat chronic myeloid leukemia in 2016

Abstract

Imatinib will become generic in 2016; assuming that its price will decrease precipitously, we expect that the economic forces will change our current practice habits. We reviewed the literature on the current recommendations to treat chronic myeloid leukemia and highlight how we plan to deal with these changes. Specifically, we propose to better characterize patients according to prognostic scores, to allow more attention to those at high risk for disease progression, e.g., 3-month guidelines and BCR/ABL1 message half-time, emphasize compliance by using contemporary technologies, and increase the importance of early monitoring. We hope that our message will open communication between providers, insurance companies and healthcare authorities to offer the best care for our patients.

Keywords: Chronic myeloid leukemia; Generic; Price of drugs; Tyrosine kinase inhibitors.