The largest real-world study ever conducted on prostate cancer in Brazil analyzed data from 670,205 patients treated through the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS) over a 16-year period, between 2008 and 2023. Published in the Journal of Global Oncology (JCO), the official journal of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), the study included researchers from the D’Or Institute for Research and Education (IDOR) and investigated patterns of diagnosis, treatment, and healthcare costs related to the disease across the country. The results revealed significant racial inequalities, including a higher frequency of advanced disease at diagnosis among non-white men and differences in therapeutic investment.

Nine out of 10 prescriptions are filled by generic drugs — FDA-approved carbon copies of brand-name drugs with expired patents. Over the last 30 years, generic drugs have saved trillions of dollars for hundreds of millions of people. But newer biologic medicines, including blockbuster treatments for diabetes, cancer, and autoimmune disease, are harder to manufacture into generic form. Unlike traditional “small molecule” drugs made from chemicals, biologics are large, protein-sized molecules made in living cells. Their equivalents, called biosimilars, are close but not identical copies. Now, a study from UC San Francisco researchers shows that the regulations for biosimilars vary around the world, slowing their development and adoption.