Estimated number of people in U.S. and worldwide on interferon tx?

[gazebo1]

Just bumping up my earlier thread, hoping some others come along who may have seen the figures.  Curious if anyone has seen a number for how many of us are taking interferon combos in the U.S., and worldwide, at the same time. Hard to get that figure serching the net or articles.  G.

[FlGuy]

Go to the websites for Roche and/or Schering.  Look for a phone number for 'pulbic affairs', or some such contact point.  Ask them. They probably have a good idea.  They make the tx ingredients. Think they don't forecast use?

[desrt]

Of course they give it away. What else can you do, when you spend billions developing a drug and most of the people who need it can't afford it? You take the write off, and bless them for doing so. They could just as easily have decided the sx and liabilities were too steep and taken it off the shelf.

[WillPower]

Clearly reason and history demonstrates that corporate america plays any marketing game they can.  Revenire is not paranoid, he is using reason and he humbly mentioned paranoid.  Prices for drugs in the US are so much more than in Canada.  It costs just as much to make the drugs regardless of where you market it.  Revenire's point is that it is not "black or white" whether drug companies are good or bad...etc; he is just stating a "gray" side, a fact that corporate greed exists, not that the "white" side of corporate america does not also exist.  We can get tangled up in that polemic.  I would rather spend time sharing with each other to find out if anyone knows the answer to the question.  

I for one do not think the drug corporations want us to know what huge profit they are making, so the answer to this question is not available.  I for one think they do a few hand outs for the public relations to make them look good so they can perpetuate their bonanza.  But, sure, there is a good side of the corporate contribution.  There has to be in order for us to give them the big bucks.

[NYgirl]

I had read it was 150,000 out of all of the millions that are infected. But I don't nkow how accurate it is...but if you think about how few people know they are infected - it sounds about right to me.

[l-horn]

You're paranoid.

LOL @ the military taking people with AIDS because they need people.

You sir, are out there.

[orphanedhawk]

If you are 'out there' you have a lot of company. The Military won't admit the spread of HCV from airguns due to the cost. Look at how long they waited to admit there were problems with agent orange. I know vets who died while waiting for help from the Vets. I suggest those who are still too naive to consider these things watch the movie, Jacobs Ladder.

[gazebo1]

Oh well - this one also went off the tracks.  FLguy,the drug company PR info. is just the number of RX written for their stuff.  I was hoping someone had factual info. on the level of treatment in U.S. and worldwide at this time.

Certainly the recent Boston conference addressed the advances, but I don't have time to look through all that data.  Thought one of the board members had some info.  If I come across it I'll post. Next time I see my hep doc I'll ask, he is a researcher, teaches and publishes (HCV and diabetes mostly).  G.

AN ASIDE: Strange how a few "members" deviate from the topic all the time and get so confrontational.  Maybe the other "community" forum is a good idea to battle ideology issues over there.  Too much drama in going through this hell without stirring it up.  Need more positive tone and encouragement, not controversy.  Sorry for the rant!