But most countries cannot afford the costs of such tests or to pay for the costly drugs.

Or patients could need to take costly drugs for the rest of their life.

Biotechnology companies sell some of the world's most costly drugs.

"It's a very costly drug to produce," she said.

But will patients always do better with the latest, most costly drug, or is a flood of advertising making them think they will?

But it remains susceptible to a more costly antiviral drug, Tamiflu.

However, he could not save her life because doctors had prescribed costly drugs.

A patient who desired a more costly drug would have to pay the difference.

The rest of the increase was attributed to a shift to costlier drugs, it said.

They may be healthy now, but what if later in the year they develop problems that require the continued use of very costly drugs?