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LETTER TO THE EDITOR |
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Year : 2021 | Volume
: 4
| Issue : 4 | Page : 791-792 |
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Kapoor's reply to Ventrapati and Gheware et al.
Akhil Kapoor
Department of Medical Oncology, Mahamana Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya Cancer Centre and Homi Bhabha Cancer Hospital, Tata Memorial Centre, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India
Date of Submission | 14-Nov-2021 |
Date of Decision | 23-Nov-2021 |
Date of Acceptance | 27-Nov-2021 |
Date of Web Publication | 29-Dec-2021 |
Correspondence Address: Akhil Kapoor Department of Medical Oncology, Mahamana Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya Cancer Centre and Homi Bhabha Cancer Hospital, Tata Memorial Centre, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh India
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None
DOI: 10.4103/crst.crst_287_21
How to cite this article: Kapoor A. Kapoor's reply to Ventrapati and Gheware et al. Cancer Res Stat Treat 2021;4:791-2 |
We thank Ventrapati and Gheware et al. for reading our article with interest and providing their comments on the same.[1],[2],[3] We agree with Ventrapati's comments that the discovery of sotorasib has paved the way to drug the undruggable.[1] We also agree that, as expected, the cost of sotorasib is very high, making it currently unaffordable for most of the patients. However, we would like to highlight the situation of trastuzumab for treating advanced breast cancer with HER2 mutation. Trastuzumab was very costly and out of reach for most of the patients from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) when it first came into the market.[4] However, the situation gradually changed, and with the advent of multiple generics, it is now within reach of most of our patients.[5],[6] The availability of sotorasib for compassionate use in LMICs is necessary to rescue patients with KRAS G12C mutation. This will ensure that patients who need this drug the most but are unable to purchase it due to financial issues are able to get it.
We also agree with Gheware et al. that we are just at the beginning of a long road which can lead to the eradication of KRAS-mutant cancers, and it will certainly take a lot of time and efforts for the same. “Miles to go before we sleep!”
Financial support and sponsorship
Nil.
Conflicts of interest
There are no conflicts of interest.
References | |  |
1. | Ventrapati P. Old targets, new bullets, nursing fresh hope. Cancer Res Stat Treat 2021;4:788-9. [Full text] |
2. | Gheware AP, Rathor A, Jain D. From bench to bedside and beyond: Challenges in direct KRAS targeting. Cancer Res Stat Treat 2021;4:789-90. [Full text] |
3. | Agrawal AK, Pragya R, Choudhary A, Gupta A, Sambasivaiah K, Mishra BK, et al. Sotorasib – An inhibitor of KRAS p.G12c mutation in advanced non-small cell carcinoma: A narrative drug review. Cancer Res Stat Treat 2021;4:524-8. [Full text] |
4. | Radhakrishnan V. Drug pricing: A major barrier to access to cancer care in India. Cancer Res Stat Treat 2021;4:195-7. [Full text] |
5. | Liberato NL, Marchetti M, Barosi G. Cost effectiveness of adjuvant trastuzumab in human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-positive breast cancer. J Clin Oncol 2007;25:625-33. |
6. | Akram Hussain SM. Molecular-based screening and therapeutics of breast and ovarian cancer in low- and middle-income countries. Cancer Res Stat Treat 2020;3:81-4. [Full text] |
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