Expensive brain-cancer drug no longer an option under Medicare

Brain-tumor experts and patient advocates are among those decrying a decision by the seller of a cancer drug to exit a federal discount program for Medicare patients, leaving some unable to afford a treatment that can run as much as $1,000 a capsule.

The move by Miami-based NextSource Biotechnology means the drug Gleostine no longer qualifies for Medicare Part D drug assistance, meaning there is one fewer option of a handful of approved chemotherapies.  "There are lots of people right now who are not getting the drug," and some will likely die as a result, Henry S. Friedman, a neuro-oncologist and professor of neurosurgery at Duke University School of Medicine, told CBS MoneyWatch. "There are patients who can't afford the drug, and other drugs may not be as effective."