The impact of pharmaceutical innovation on the longevity and hospitalization of New Zealand cancer patients, 1998-2017.

Pharmaceutical innovation-the introduction and use of new drugs-substantially increased cancer survival rates in New Zealand, and substantially reduced premature (before ages 85, 75, and 65) cancer mortality there during the period 1998-2017. Moreover, overall the new cancer drugs were highly costeffective. The drugs approved during 1985-2001 are estimated to have reduced the number of years of potential life lost before age 85 in 2017 by 244,876. Even if previous drug approvals increased the cost of hospital discharges and other medical costs, the cost per life-year before age 85 gained in 2017 from those approvals could not have exceeded 1719 USD.