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From NVHR

NVHR Statement on Express Scripts/AbbVie Hepatitis C Treatment Access Announcement
  
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December 22, 2014



Contact:

Ryan Clary, Executive Director

(415) 235-8593; ***@****

The National Viral Hepatitis Roundtable (NVHR) applauds the announcement today by Express Scripts (the nation’s largest pharmacy benefits manager) and AbbVie that Express Scripts will provide access to AbbVie’s new hepatitis C treatment regimen, Viekira Pak, to all patients with genotype 1 hepatitis C infection regardless of stage of liver damage. Express Scripts will also ensure that patients who don’t qualify for Viekira Pak such as those with severe hepatic impairment have access to other FDA approved therapies. The policy will apply to everyone covered by Express Scripts’ National Preferred Formulary, about 25 million people.

NVHR has stated emphatically and repeatedly that everyone living with hepatitis C deserves to be treated and cured and this announcement is a significant step forward in reaching that goal. We also strongly believe that hepatitis C patients should have access to all available FDA approved treatments and recognize that this negotiation limits patient and provider choice. We call on all companies and payers to negotiate agreements that ensure patients have comprehensive access to approved treatments for hepatitis C.

In the meantime, this negotiation is a vast improvement to the current environment in which a significant number of patients have limited or no access to curative treatment. It represents a breakthrough in a difficult year of highly public debates about price and value that excluded the voice and needs of people living with hepatitis C. We hope this is the first of a series of announcements by a wide range of private and public payers about expansion of treatment access and an end to discriminatory barriers. We are also hopeful that similar announcements from other payers will allow us to move beyond price and focus on improving testing and linkage to care, so we can ultimately eradicate hepatitis C in the United States.



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The National Viral Hepatitis Roundtable is a broad coalition working to fight, and ultimately end, the hepatitis B and hepatitis C epidemics. We seek an aggressive response from policymakers, public health officials, medical and health care providers, the media, and the general public through our advocacy, education, and technical assistance.
9 Responses
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Avatar universal
This is a wonderful announcement. Brings tears to my eyes and hope to my heart that we all kick this dragon to the curb!
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Hmmmm, I thought that the government dictates what percent of a discount the pharmaceutical company must offer. Like I said, I am fairly clueless about that part of it. Thanks for the information though. I should try and learn about this but right now I am just one tired person.
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Avatar universal
Actually, the government does not set the prices for drugs but each state's medicaid plan can lobby for discounts and stipulate who gets the drugs and who doesn't. Medicaid does get discounts but I don't know about Medicare. It really can get confusing for a layperson. Pharma makes the offers and the state accepts or denies those offers. I think the negotiations are between the drug company and the insurance company that administers Medicare.
What I wonder about the most is if the Medicare insurance plan, such as ES, approves the script, then does Medicaid have to follow suit on the balance.
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Avatar universal
I am not confident enough to even have a discussion about the government run insurance programs. I know that the government sets prices so I don't know what pharma can do about that. Also each State is different. I think we just have to wait on this and see how it plays out.
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Avatar universal
I just read something about because Medicaid is already discounted by something like 23% that Abbvie may not be able to help with lowering the cost. Also, apparently Gilead has already contracted with some state Medicaids and in those states Havoni will continue to be prescribed, but it made me wonder if this is true, then for someone like myself who has Medicare along with Medicaid would I be able to obtain Harvoni. I don't expect an answer by any means but I just am curious as to how it'll all work out.

In Oregon Gilead offered the ACA plan (Oregon Health Plan) a deal but Oregon refused it because Gilead specified that everyone would need to be treated and Oregon doesn't want to make that investment.

It will be very interesting to see how it all unfolds.
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Avatar universal
Yes Sarah, that sounds right. We don't yet have information on Medicare and Medicaid. But Abbvie has already talked to one of the biggest payers, Express Scripts. It is our hope that they are talking to all payers, both private and public. As soon as we are given the information we will share it.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Is Abbvie also making a deal with the state Medicaids to where everyone will be able to treat? That would be so totally refreshing. Plus, it would make good sense, something I haven't seen a lot of this last year.

So it sounds like if you have already treated with Sovaldi/Olysio and relapse that Express Scripts will let you go ahead and treat with Harvoni. Does that sound right?
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
It is actually very good news. And there is more good news to come.
Helpful - 0
317787 tn?1473358451
Hey there!  Thanks for the information.  I appreciate you sharing this with everyone.  I can see that Express Scripts is helping everyone by starting this.  The other companies will follow suit, maybe kicking and screaming but they will have no choice.
Thank you, this is good news, Dee
Helpful - 0
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