Aa
News article denouncing US Gov underfunding for hep C
http://www.hcvadvocate.org/news/newsRev/2010/NewsRev-353.html#_NVHR_Warns_%27Systemic
There are some shocking figures and statistics here, although the group behind it (NVHR) is another one of these smoke screens sponsored by the pharmaceutical companies that are profiting from the epidemic.
M.
There are some shocking figures and statistics here, although the group behind it (NVHR) is another one of these smoke screens sponsored by the pharmaceutical companies that are profiting from the epidemic.
M.
ok, drug companies are all bad, and everyone is a thief??
see, here's the rub: you said
>>>>>>>>>>>More funding won't do it, if that funding continues to line the pockets of Big Pharma execs, and that is where it is going so long as they control it. This type of organization makes that possible.
by that logic, if I own a store I should never let one person in the front door because they might steal. Maybe they all are thieves. Let's lock the doors...oh wait, then we loose our business.....
does corruption exist, sure...
but I've been on both sides. I've been in clinical trials...some the government funds, some rare diseases would never become understood without that funding and some folks living healthy lives now have that funding to thank for it.
first, a company cannot put every ounce of profit into R &D because they have factories, employees, benefits and stockholders that all need funds, which is why some tax payer money now funds disease research...actually there's just a handful of countries that have done 99% of the research that has produced cures, and they have done it through government funding. France, america and Israel are at the head of the pack, so one could say our democratic processes have led us to believe the public well being is served by disease research and that we have made a leap that more funding will equal better health, that all boats will rise together, sooner that some nations.
second, it is VERY expensive to do research...docs don't work for free,
my labs from one clinical trial alone cost hundreds each week, multiply that times a year, times 1000 patients, times the docs, nurses, lab tecs, etc involved in the study and you have between 1-2 million just for trials...to say nothing of the years that the microbiologists and chemists worked on stuff before it got to trial...they don't work for peanuts either.
on average only 1 drug in a thousand new molecules ever makes it an FDA approval...
that's a 100,000 rodents, and a few hundred or thousand guinea pig people and dozens of highly trained researchers and upteen thousands of their man hours down the line.....way down the line.
While we can debate whether it is governments role to aide in research or not, let's at least be honest enough to say if something is epidemic, and will cut peoples lives short by 20-40 years wholesale across the globe, 80% of the populace in some countries now....that this might be a good place to put our research dollars....a good service to humanity....that maybe should be celebrated not disparaged ??
Doesn't mean there couldn't be some fraud...but we cannot live in fear that nothing good will ever be done. I assume in this world we must accept that there are degrees on honesty within folks. We can rail against that, and label everyone bad as a result...but would we like that done to us?
Should I say all nurses are evil, all doctors, all accountants? No, well then why assume that no federal funding will ever make it to it's source, that no researcher will ever be honest?
It's not rational.
For every MAdoff there's a few honest brokers, for every Enron there's a power company being fair...same in the drug companies, same in all professions.
The wheat and the tares exist together.
If I follow your logic, then there's no point in ever doing anything to try and prevent disease....let's not go to doctors, heck, let's outlaw research, because someone will pilfer?? Is that logical?
Maybe we shouldn't have helped Jonas Salk study polio, heck, we shouldn't have helped them discover and refine breast cancer drugs, or child luekemia drugs...what we need is less drug company involvement and more dead people???????????????????????????????????????????????????????
Personally, I find it offensive to assume that there are no human beings with good motives anywhere within most of the hcv advocates, or the drug companies, or any other community. How do you think people feel who read this stuff who have dedicated their lives or careers to trying to fight for a cure for this disease?
let's be fair!
We cannot legislate morality true enough, but we cannot just stop funding everything because some corruption exists...and I'd rather believe that some do do good work and do try to help...some don't we know...but can we assume all are corrupt or does that not border on paranoid. I assume people have degrees of ignorance, and degrees of incompetence as well...but also that many are genuinely trying and do sleep at night. For those that do steal, well God help them....their day will come.
mb
see, here's the rub: you said
>>>>>>>>>>>More funding won't do it, if that funding continues to line the pockets of Big Pharma execs, and that is where it is going so long as they control it. This type of organization makes that possible.
by that logic, if I own a store I should never let one person in the front door because they might steal. Maybe they all are thieves. Let's lock the doors...oh wait, then we loose our business.....
does corruption exist, sure...
but I've been on both sides. I've been in clinical trials...some the government funds, some rare diseases would never become understood without that funding and some folks living healthy lives now have that funding to thank for it.
first, a company cannot put every ounce of profit into R &D because they have factories, employees, benefits and stockholders that all need funds, which is why some tax payer money now funds disease research...actually there's just a handful of countries that have done 99% of the research that has produced cures, and they have done it through government funding. France, america and Israel are at the head of the pack, so one could say our democratic processes have led us to believe the public well being is served by disease research and that we have made a leap that more funding will equal better health, that all boats will rise together, sooner that some nations.
second, it is VERY expensive to do research...docs don't work for free,
my labs from one clinical trial alone cost hundreds each week, multiply that times a year, times 1000 patients, times the docs, nurses, lab tecs, etc involved in the study and you have between 1-2 million just for trials...to say nothing of the years that the microbiologists and chemists worked on stuff before it got to trial...they don't work for peanuts either.
on average only 1 drug in a thousand new molecules ever makes it an FDA approval...
that's a 100,000 rodents, and a few hundred or thousand guinea pig people and dozens of highly trained researchers and upteen thousands of their man hours down the line.....way down the line.
While we can debate whether it is governments role to aide in research or not, let's at least be honest enough to say if something is epidemic, and will cut peoples lives short by 20-40 years wholesale across the globe, 80% of the populace in some countries now....that this might be a good place to put our research dollars....a good service to humanity....that maybe should be celebrated not disparaged ??
Doesn't mean there couldn't be some fraud...but we cannot live in fear that nothing good will ever be done. I assume in this world we must accept that there are degrees on honesty within folks. We can rail against that, and label everyone bad as a result...but would we like that done to us?
Should I say all nurses are evil, all doctors, all accountants? No, well then why assume that no federal funding will ever make it to it's source, that no researcher will ever be honest?
It's not rational.
For every MAdoff there's a few honest brokers, for every Enron there's a power company being fair...same in the drug companies, same in all professions.
The wheat and the tares exist together.
If I follow your logic, then there's no point in ever doing anything to try and prevent disease....let's not go to doctors, heck, let's outlaw research, because someone will pilfer?? Is that logical?
Maybe we shouldn't have helped Jonas Salk study polio, heck, we shouldn't have helped them discover and refine breast cancer drugs, or child luekemia drugs...what we need is less drug company involvement and more dead people???????????????????????????????????????????????????????
Personally, I find it offensive to assume that there are no human beings with good motives anywhere within most of the hcv advocates, or the drug companies, or any other community. How do you think people feel who read this stuff who have dedicated their lives or careers to trying to fight for a cure for this disease?
let's be fair!
We cannot legislate morality true enough, but we cannot just stop funding everything because some corruption exists...and I'd rather believe that some do do good work and do try to help...some don't we know...but can we assume all are corrupt or does that not border on paranoid. I assume people have degrees of ignorance, and degrees of incompetence as well...but also that many are genuinely trying and do sleep at night. For those that do steal, well God help them....their day will come.
mb
Mike writes- By the way, since you mention the "failure of public health to protect the blood supply", it is my contention that the current HCV epidemic was caused by the medical profession.
Mike, yes, that is the largest contributing factor today for the spread of this disease... shabby, cost cutting pratices and reused, single use medical devices, cleaned/sterilized against manufacture recommendations. It wasn't until 1999 a product was developed to kill HCV
September 1999, Sterilants and Disinfectants Applied and Environmental Microbiology, p. 4255-4260, Vol. 65, No. 90099-2240/99/$04.00+0 Bacterial Spores Survive Treatment with Commercial Sterilants and Disinfectants Hepatitis C Survives Treatment with Commercial Sterilants and Disinfectants http://hcvets.com/data/transmission_methods/SterilantsDisinfectants.htm
Mike writes- The hepatitis viruses, including HCV, have probably always coexisted with the human species in a stable relationship (low transmission, low viral virulence).
In my opinion, not hep C Mike... it is genetically related to the dengue virus, west nile and yellow fever viruses. The first "known" record of HCV was found in 1977 by Dr. Seeff when he examined saved serum samples from a military outbreak of HBV, called serum hepatitis, from 1940s, that was cause by the Yellow Fever Vaccine inoculations made with serum as a stabilizer.
1977 72(1):111-21 Jan Veterans Administration cooperative study A randomized, double blind controlled trial of the efficacy of immune serum globulin for the prevention of post-transfusion hepatitis. A Seeff LB, Gastroenterology ...controlled trial has been conducted in 11 Veterans Administration hospitals during a 49-month period The data suggest, however, that a similar reduction in type non-A, non-B hepatitis would have occurred had commercial blood been excluded from use. Furthermore, the efficacy of the ISG, manufactured in 1944, against apparent type non-A, non-B hepatitis suggests that this overlooked disease has existed from at least that time. Publication Types: Clinical trial Randomized controlled trial More info http://hcvets.com/data/transmission_methods/vaccine_contamination.htm#three_generations
Mike writes- It was probably the large-scale use of unscreened, unsterilized, unfiltered blood and blood products in hospitals that initially increased the transmission rate, permitting an increase in the virus's virulence and fostering an epidemic. This may, indeed, be an ongoing process, and the time from infection to cirrhosis/cancer/death may becoming shorter.
Yes, Mike, I agree and many countries still have major problems with the blood process. This is the best kept secret of all... how the vaccines are made...
October 1999 Safety and availability of immunoglobulin replacement therapy in relation to potentially transmissable agents Clinical & Experimental Immunology Volume 118 Issue s1 Page 29 - ... However, the role of partitioning of viruses ...amount of recoverable HCV-RNA in the various Cohn fractions changed dramatically ...As Cohn–Oncley fractionation is not sufficient to remove lipid-coated viruses, additional antiviral inactivation steps are required. More info http://hcvets.com/data/transmission_methods/immunoglobulinSafety1999.htm
Mike writes- For the biological and evolutionary arguments about pathogen transmission rates and virulence, see "Evolution of Infectious Disease", by Paul W. Ewald.
I guess no one knows for sure if HCV has been here forever, Mike, but it sure is strange... the only record of existence is in relation to a possible mutation of a similar virus in the same family. Fact is, HCV is here to stay and public health practices are making sure of that.
Check out this link for more info on the blood http://hcvets.com/data/transmission_methods/vaccine_contamination.htm
Mike, yes, that is the largest contributing factor today for the spread of this disease... shabby, cost cutting pratices and reused, single use medical devices, cleaned/sterilized against manufacture recommendations. It wasn't until 1999 a product was developed to kill HCV
September 1999, Sterilants and Disinfectants Applied and Environmental Microbiology, p. 4255-4260, Vol. 65, No. 90099-2240/99/$04.00+0 Bacterial Spores Survive Treatment with Commercial Sterilants and Disinfectants Hepatitis C Survives Treatment with Commercial Sterilants and Disinfectants http://hcvets.com/data/transmission_methods/SterilantsDisinfectants.htm
Mike writes- The hepatitis viruses, including HCV, have probably always coexisted with the human species in a stable relationship (low transmission, low viral virulence).
In my opinion, not hep C Mike... it is genetically related to the dengue virus, west nile and yellow fever viruses. The first "known" record of HCV was found in 1977 by Dr. Seeff when he examined saved serum samples from a military outbreak of HBV, called serum hepatitis, from 1940s, that was cause by the Yellow Fever Vaccine inoculations made with serum as a stabilizer.
1977 72(1):111-21 Jan Veterans Administration cooperative study A randomized, double blind controlled trial of the efficacy of immune serum globulin for the prevention of post-transfusion hepatitis. A Seeff LB, Gastroenterology ...controlled trial has been conducted in 11 Veterans Administration hospitals during a 49-month period The data suggest, however, that a similar reduction in type non-A, non-B hepatitis would have occurred had commercial blood been excluded from use. Furthermore, the efficacy of the ISG, manufactured in 1944, against apparent type non-A, non-B hepatitis suggests that this overlooked disease has existed from at least that time. Publication Types: Clinical trial Randomized controlled trial More info http://hcvets.com/data/transmission_methods/vaccine_contamination.htm#three_generations
Mike writes- It was probably the large-scale use of unscreened, unsterilized, unfiltered blood and blood products in hospitals that initially increased the transmission rate, permitting an increase in the virus's virulence and fostering an epidemic. This may, indeed, be an ongoing process, and the time from infection to cirrhosis/cancer/death may becoming shorter.
Yes, Mike, I agree and many countries still have major problems with the blood process. This is the best kept secret of all... how the vaccines are made...
October 1999 Safety and availability of immunoglobulin replacement therapy in relation to potentially transmissable agents Clinical & Experimental Immunology Volume 118 Issue s1 Page 29 - ... However, the role of partitioning of viruses ...amount of recoverable HCV-RNA in the various Cohn fractions changed dramatically ...As Cohn–Oncley fractionation is not sufficient to remove lipid-coated viruses, additional antiviral inactivation steps are required. More info http://hcvets.com/data/transmission_methods/immunoglobulinSafety1999.htm
Mike writes- For the biological and evolutionary arguments about pathogen transmission rates and virulence, see "Evolution of Infectious Disease", by Paul W. Ewald.
I guess no one knows for sure if HCV has been here forever, Mike, but it sure is strange... the only record of existence is in relation to a possible mutation of a similar virus in the same family. Fact is, HCV is here to stay and public health practices are making sure of that.
Check out this link for more info on the blood http://hcvets.com/data/transmission_methods/vaccine_contamination.htm
Mike writes- Is there an association of HCV victims somewhere that isn´t corrupted yet (aside from HCVet, which I guess you have to be a vet to join)?
Hi Mike, no, don't need to be a vet to join HCVets, just a commitment to vets and their plight to prove service posed the greates risk of infection due to the lack of universal precautions/standards that were non existent then. As the VA denies their claim if they've had more than two partners or had documented "hepatitis," but not labeled "hepatitis C" in the active duty med records.
The reasons for denial would make you sick. Vets must prove the infection occurred during service by showing elevated liver function tests. The biopsy showing stage 3/4 or cirrhotic and doctor letters associating the two are discarded; even though reused needles, vials, syringes jetguns were standard procedure well into this century The jetguns are still in use. If a vet does not have any of the CDC/HIV risk factors, his claim is denied based on that fact. Here's an example http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/2192hepc.pdf
Another note of interest... the 2.6 million vets that served prior to the war on terror, are not counted in the proclaimed CDC numbers of infected people , nor are their deaths. As for the war on terror, our kids are coming home in record numbers, sick with Hep C. We have a intercommunication that the military that verify this. Won't be long the media will start telling the world these kids are junkies too, just like they did to the Nam vets. Out of all 9 million Vietnam Vets only 3% or 270,000 used drugs but 90 to 95 percent of all GI users sniffed ("snorted") the drug or inserted a little in a cigarette and smoked it. Only 13,500 are assumed to have injected illicit drugs. Far cry from what media reports and the general public believe.
1 in 10 vets have HCV and of that, 1 in 5 are from the Vietnam era. There is no national campaigns to warn vets of this risk, just the VA. Talk about putting the fox in charge of the hen house...
Chief Justice 'Startled' by VA Errors in Cases "That means the quality of decision-making at the Board of Veterans Appeals is not very good," he said. "We’ve been saying that for years. The number means not only did they wrongly decide the case but their position wasn’t substantially justified. Read more... http://hcvets.com/SurveillanceAlerts/100225/Report.htm
There is much you can do Mike, especially in Argentina... Make sure the public health does not get sucker punched as here and taking place in other counties. Keep speaking up as you did here, exposing the corruption taking place. Comment on the net to media that do not mention the Vets here in the USA. Like posted above by member merrybe, that in the USA, Asians are most infected... nope it's the vets... You can sign up for HCVets.com Surveillance Reports that have call to actions, in response to our "for profit" public health tactics to capture the funding. http://hcvets.com
We welcome all the help we can get!!
Also, check out these links to true advocate sites- The National Hepatitis C Institute http://nationalhepatitiscinstitute.org and the Hepatitis C Movement for Awareness http://march-on-dc.com
Keep the faith, my new friend, you are not alone... We grow stronger every day!
T
Hi Mike, no, don't need to be a vet to join HCVets, just a commitment to vets and their plight to prove service posed the greates risk of infection due to the lack of universal precautions/standards that were non existent then. As the VA denies their claim if they've had more than two partners or had documented "hepatitis," but not labeled "hepatitis C" in the active duty med records.
The reasons for denial would make you sick. Vets must prove the infection occurred during service by showing elevated liver function tests. The biopsy showing stage 3/4 or cirrhotic and doctor letters associating the two are discarded; even though reused needles, vials, syringes jetguns were standard procedure well into this century The jetguns are still in use. If a vet does not have any of the CDC/HIV risk factors, his claim is denied based on that fact. Here's an example http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/2192hepc.pdf
Another note of interest... the 2.6 million vets that served prior to the war on terror, are not counted in the proclaimed CDC numbers of infected people , nor are their deaths. As for the war on terror, our kids are coming home in record numbers, sick with Hep C. We have a intercommunication that the military that verify this. Won't be long the media will start telling the world these kids are junkies too, just like they did to the Nam vets. Out of all 9 million Vietnam Vets only 3% or 270,000 used drugs but 90 to 95 percent of all GI users sniffed ("snorted") the drug or inserted a little in a cigarette and smoked it. Only 13,500 are assumed to have injected illicit drugs. Far cry from what media reports and the general public believe.
1 in 10 vets have HCV and of that, 1 in 5 are from the Vietnam era. There is no national campaigns to warn vets of this risk, just the VA. Talk about putting the fox in charge of the hen house...
Chief Justice 'Startled' by VA Errors in Cases "That means the quality of decision-making at the Board of Veterans Appeals is not very good," he said. "We’ve been saying that for years. The number means not only did they wrongly decide the case but their position wasn’t substantially justified. Read more... http://hcvets.com/SurveillanceAlerts/100225/Report.htm
There is much you can do Mike, especially in Argentina... Make sure the public health does not get sucker punched as here and taking place in other counties. Keep speaking up as you did here, exposing the corruption taking place. Comment on the net to media that do not mention the Vets here in the USA. Like posted above by member merrybe, that in the USA, Asians are most infected... nope it's the vets... You can sign up for HCVets.com Surveillance Reports that have call to actions, in response to our "for profit" public health tactics to capture the funding. http://hcvets.com
We welcome all the help we can get!!
Also, check out these links to true advocate sites- The National Hepatitis C Institute http://nationalhepatitiscinstitute.org and the Hepatitis C Movement for Awareness http://march-on-dc.com
Keep the faith, my new friend, you are not alone... We grow stronger every day!
T
I agree with you. The risk from medical transmission is underestimated and under reported.
Co
Co
"on the surface it might look as if this is a drug company shell, but looking at the steering committees and consultants I'd have to disagree."
-------------------------
merryBe.....it's true. The pharmas started organizations to lobby federal money for meds. More meds more money. To them it's an investment. So you now have pharmaceutical funded patients collaborating with HIV/AIDS advocates treating viral hepatitis as a co-morbidity of HIV/AIDS rather than a unique disease.
The net of fake organizations is huge. How do you spot the fakes?
1. Ask them where their funding comes from. You'll get no straight answers from the fakes.
2. See which organizations shamelessly violated their own guidelines. (i.e. The World Hepatitis Alliance guidelines say only organizations that have viral hepatitis as their primary interest are allowed to be full voting members and be on the Board, yet they have a Board member who doesn't have hepatitis, works for an HIV organization and is representing all US heppers without your knowledge).
3. Their actions are shameless.
4. They have done nothing good for HCV.
You know, I just can't imagine how those people can live with themselves knowing that people are dying because of them. Their children will have nothing to be proud of.
Co
-------------------------
merryBe.....it's true. The pharmas started organizations to lobby federal money for meds. More meds more money. To them it's an investment. So you now have pharmaceutical funded patients collaborating with HIV/AIDS advocates treating viral hepatitis as a co-morbidity of HIV/AIDS rather than a unique disease.
The net of fake organizations is huge. How do you spot the fakes?
1. Ask them where their funding comes from. You'll get no straight answers from the fakes.
2. See which organizations shamelessly violated their own guidelines. (i.e. The World Hepatitis Alliance guidelines say only organizations that have viral hepatitis as their primary interest are allowed to be full voting members and be on the Board, yet they have a Board member who doesn't have hepatitis, works for an HIV organization and is representing all US heppers without your knowledge).
3. Their actions are shameless.
4. They have done nothing good for HCV.
You know, I just can't imagine how those people can live with themselves knowing that people are dying because of them. Their children will have nothing to be proud of.
Co
By the way, since you mention the "failure of public health to protect the blood supply", it is my contention that the current HCV epidemic was caused by the medical profession. The hepatitis viruses, including HCV, have probably always coexisted with the human species in a stable relationship (low transmission, low viral virulence). It was probably the large-scale use of unscreened, unsterilized, unfiltered blood and blood products in hospitals that initially increased the transmission rate, permitting an increase in the virus's virulence and fostering an epidemic. This may, indeed, be an ongoing process, and the time from infection to cirrhosis/cancer/death may becoming shorter.
For the biological and evolutionary arguments about pathogen transmission rates and virulence, see "Evolution of Infectious Disease", by Paul W. Ewald.
Mike
For the biological and evolutionary arguments about pathogen transmission rates and virulence, see "Evolution of Infectious Disease", by Paul W. Ewald.
Mike
Thanks very much for your post. I wasn´t aware of what´s been going on re WHO and WHA, so I appreciate that information. I will read your web links carefully.
What´s to be done? Is there an association of HCV victims somewhere that isn´t corrupted yet (aside from HCVet, which I guess you have to be a vet to join)?
I have the will to fight, but I don´t know where to start. Being in Argentina makes it hard, too; although not impossible, using the Internet.
Any ideas?
Mike
What´s to be done? Is there an association of HCV victims somewhere that isn´t corrupted yet (aside from HCVet, which I guess you have to be a vet to join)?
I have the will to fight, but I don´t know where to start. Being in Argentina makes it hard, too; although not impossible, using the Internet.
Any ideas?
Mike
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Hi Mike, you are soooo right. NVHR has accomplished noting for patients while draining the community of all resources for awareness funding. An example is LOLA, the Latino Org for Liver Awareness has shut its doors because the Pharms only support NVHR agendas, which is basically lobbying congress for funding to further the HIV agenda for control of HCV funding and treatment.
Here is a link to download that you and others might find interesting and explains why this virus is still spreading and why patients are dying. http://hcvets.com/NHCI/NHCIPowerPointUpdate.ppt
There's more info here http://hcvets.com/NHCI/index.html and a chart that shows the players in this chain of corruptions http://hcvets.com/NHCI/images/NVHRChart.jpg
Now NVHR has taken over the World Hepatitis Alliance (WHA), an international org that was created to lobby the World Health Association (WHO) to manage Hep C Awareness globally. Since NVHR's involvement the WHA's mission has changed... HIV groups now controls this agenda for North America through the appointment of Chris Taylor as our rep but works for The National Alliance of State and Territorial Aids Directors (NASTAD) – is a non-profit working with states and federal government to develop HIV/AIDS policy. NASTAD has become the driving force behind congressional funding, legislation and HIV/AIDS global expansion and control of HCV. A significant amount of NASTAD funding comes from the partnership with the pharmaceutical industry and controls the NVHR agenda. They do not want WHO to have these world wide awareness duties because they will loose control of the message. You know... that "we're all drug users" message... that HCV is secondary to HIV and it's our fault we're sick... not the failure of public health to protect the blood supply...
Thanks for having the guts to stand up and shout... yes, we are most definitely victims again:(
Hi Mike, you are soooo right. NVHR has accomplished noting for patients while draining the community of all resources for awareness funding. An example is LOLA, the Latino Org for Liver Awareness has shut its doors because the Pharms only support NVHR agendas, which is basically lobbying congress for funding to further the HIV agenda for control of HCV funding and treatment.
Here is a link to download that you and others might find interesting and explains why this virus is still spreading and why patients are dying. http://hcvets.com/NHCI/NHCIPowerPointUpdate.ppt
There's more info here http://hcvets.com/NHCI/index.html and a chart that shows the players in this chain of corruptions http://hcvets.com/NHCI/images/NVHRChart.jpg
Now NVHR has taken over the World Hepatitis Alliance (WHA), an international org that was created to lobby the World Health Association (WHO) to manage Hep C Awareness globally. Since NVHR's involvement the WHA's mission has changed... HIV groups now controls this agenda for North America through the appointment of Chris Taylor as our rep but works for The National Alliance of State and Territorial Aids Directors (NASTAD) – is a non-profit working with states and federal government to develop HIV/AIDS policy. NASTAD has become the driving force behind congressional funding, legislation and HIV/AIDS global expansion and control of HCV. A significant amount of NASTAD funding comes from the partnership with the pharmaceutical industry and controls the NVHR agenda. They do not want WHO to have these world wide awareness duties because they will loose control of the message. You know... that "we're all drug users" message... that HCV is secondary to HIV and it's our fault we're sick... not the failure of public health to protect the blood supply...
Thanks for having the guts to stand up and shout... yes, we are most definitely victims again:(
Hi, Merry. You wrote:
"I don't care who pushes for more funding, as long as more funding will help get some real solutions...Further research which hopefully will lead to vaccines, and to non-toxic treatments and even fibrotic reversals."
More funding won't do it, if that funding continues to line the pockets of Big Pharma execs, and that is where it is going so long as they control it. This type of organization makes that possible.
The corporations that fund NVHR are suppressing the funding of vaccines, non-toxic treatments, and antifibrotics. That's why the trials of those alternatives are going nowhere. Any company attempting a trial of a drug that is not an add-on to SOC is eliminated, one way or another, usually by just denying it funding.
The new bill does nothing to revert this situation. It will mean more money for the same projects, that is, more bucks for Big Pharma execs. Nowhere in the legislation does it stipulate that a significant part of funding must go to alternatives to SOC. If it did, the sponsors of NVHR would not be sponsoring it. Do you imagine that Merck and Vertex are going to pay to have drugs developed that replace theirs?
As to the big names on the steering committee of NVHR, they got to be big names by not rocking the boat. They are shills for Big Pharma. They probably receive share options for their duplicity, just like the members of Congress do.
The corruption is far-reaching. It is no exaggeration to say that it is a gigantic criminal conspiracy between government and industry, the pharmaceuticals industry. And we are its victims.
Mike
"I don't care who pushes for more funding, as long as more funding will help get some real solutions...Further research which hopefully will lead to vaccines, and to non-toxic treatments and even fibrotic reversals."
More funding won't do it, if that funding continues to line the pockets of Big Pharma execs, and that is where it is going so long as they control it. This type of organization makes that possible.
The corporations that fund NVHR are suppressing the funding of vaccines, non-toxic treatments, and antifibrotics. That's why the trials of those alternatives are going nowhere. Any company attempting a trial of a drug that is not an add-on to SOC is eliminated, one way or another, usually by just denying it funding.
The new bill does nothing to revert this situation. It will mean more money for the same projects, that is, more bucks for Big Pharma execs. Nowhere in the legislation does it stipulate that a significant part of funding must go to alternatives to SOC. If it did, the sponsors of NVHR would not be sponsoring it. Do you imagine that Merck and Vertex are going to pay to have drugs developed that replace theirs?
As to the big names on the steering committee of NVHR, they got to be big names by not rocking the boat. They are shills for Big Pharma. They probably receive share options for their duplicity, just like the members of Congress do.
The corruption is far-reaching. It is no exaggeration to say that it is a gigantic criminal conspiracy between government and industry, the pharmaceuticals industry. And we are its victims.
Mike
on the surface it might look as if this is a drug company shell, but looking at the steering committees and consultants I'd have to disagree.
the truth is if you know about any of those people it reads like a who's who within the hcv community....docs and private non-profits who have tried to push for hcv research and screening funding for years.
look at the senators, 2 are asian...which communities in the states have the highest rates of hcv? Asians. It is epidemic.
between hcv and hbv there are 700 million known cases world wide, some countries are 80% infected now. The immigrant asian community is rife with these disease.
yet only 1 in 5 who could treat do treat, and screening is still nearly nil....
research dollars go almost exclusively to AIDs...3000 dollars spent there for every 20 spent of HCV research, even though hepatitis is killing and making ill 10-20 times more people than aids is making ill.
Being as how hbv is HIGHLY contageous, and everytime you eat raw food out, or even eat fruit some infected person has handled we are put at risk, so unless more is done to educate the public, and to find out A. who has it and B. to treat them, then we will all end up with this virus sooner or later.
there's a disconnect, and both research and screening need to be increase or at current rates of spread in 20 years half the people on the planet will have this disease...those are the statistics, google them if you don't believe me.
frankly I don't care who pushes for more funding, as long as more funding will help get some real solutions...otherwise we are all going to be in a world of hurt.
these diseases are equal opportunity employers...they don't care if you are 5 years old and have never sinned a sin, smoked a cigarette or eaten a cheeseburger...they will take you down nonetheless...so to let this virus go world wide is the ultimate evil...
and the government needs to take an active role in the hunting down of terrorists...including the ones within us. To not try to eridicate these diseases would be the equivalent of having done nothing to stop polio or malaria...malaria is still the major killer in the world, but state side we enjoy none of that thanks to vector control etc...
I think we need to be careful about what we disparage here. Not one person in here would be SVR right now without research and drugs and drug companies, so the 50% that did treat successfully would certainly applaude further research.
Further research which hopefully will lead to vaccines, and to non-toxic treatments and even fibrotic reversals. It's called the healing arts Mike...and there is always room for improvements.
mb
mb
the truth is if you know about any of those people it reads like a who's who within the hcv community....docs and private non-profits who have tried to push for hcv research and screening funding for years.
look at the senators, 2 are asian...which communities in the states have the highest rates of hcv? Asians. It is epidemic.
between hcv and hbv there are 700 million known cases world wide, some countries are 80% infected now. The immigrant asian community is rife with these disease.
yet only 1 in 5 who could treat do treat, and screening is still nearly nil....
research dollars go almost exclusively to AIDs...3000 dollars spent there for every 20 spent of HCV research, even though hepatitis is killing and making ill 10-20 times more people than aids is making ill.
Being as how hbv is HIGHLY contageous, and everytime you eat raw food out, or even eat fruit some infected person has handled we are put at risk, so unless more is done to educate the public, and to find out A. who has it and B. to treat them, then we will all end up with this virus sooner or later.
there's a disconnect, and both research and screening need to be increase or at current rates of spread in 20 years half the people on the planet will have this disease...those are the statistics, google them if you don't believe me.
frankly I don't care who pushes for more funding, as long as more funding will help get some real solutions...otherwise we are all going to be in a world of hurt.
these diseases are equal opportunity employers...they don't care if you are 5 years old and have never sinned a sin, smoked a cigarette or eaten a cheeseburger...they will take you down nonetheless...so to let this virus go world wide is the ultimate evil...
and the government needs to take an active role in the hunting down of terrorists...including the ones within us. To not try to eridicate these diseases would be the equivalent of having done nothing to stop polio or malaria...malaria is still the major killer in the world, but state side we enjoy none of that thanks to vector control etc...
I think we need to be careful about what we disparage here. Not one person in here would be SVR right now without research and drugs and drug companies, so the 50% that did treat successfully would certainly applaude further research.
Further research which hopefully will lead to vaccines, and to non-toxic treatments and even fibrotic reversals. It's called the healing arts Mike...and there is always room for improvements.
mb
mb
Pffft… I didn’t scroll down far enough, I guess… it’s always the sponsors, huh :o)? Thanks, Mike—
Bill
Bill
Mike, your statement, “the group behind it (NVHR) is another one of these smoke screens sponsored by the pharmaceutical companies that are profiting from the epidemic.” is rather strong; do you have any info to support this?
I looked at their member and organizations list, and it doesn’t appear to be jeopardized by pharma; at least on the surface. Perhaps you have data to the contrary?
http://www.nvhr.org/organizations.htm
http://www.nvhr.org/members.htm
Bill
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