FDA's Drug Approval Paradox: Breakthroughs That Patients Can't Reach

The FDA's approval of Rasonque for pancreatic cancer was supposed to be a breakthrough—patients nearly double their median survival. Instead, it created an access nightmare. The expanded access program closed immediately upon approval, leaving patients like Kelsey Solano's husband Juan in limbo as insurance coverage takes weeks to materialize. "I felt a pit in my stomach," Solano, a critical care nurse, told STAT. This bureaucratic gap highlights a growing paradox:...