Yeah, they did the same thing for quinine, which was used to treat leg cramps. Now you can't get it unless you pay "malaria cure" prices.
well, it's not all cut and dry.
For instance, a few docs have gone ahead and Rx'd folks Alinia off label, but then, Romark is still able to make bucks there...in fact, they were the ones pushing for it's inclusion...
and they jacked the price up to 1000 a month.
anytime a drug is show to have effect on a fatal disease (not just killing intestinal microbes as before) then it gets a whole new lease on life, and a whole new inflated price to go with it.
"Why settle for 20 bucks if you can make 1000 right."
Well that at least explains why I never see Paris Hilton hanging out down in front of the liquor store....
I thnk the FDA has to approve it before it is available for sale in the US. Once available, I believe Doctors can also use it for off-label purposes. But until it is approved, I don't think it can be sold. Someone please correct me if I am mistaken.
Brent
it's an old drug, already prescribed. Not currently in much use at all.
The only place I could find it even was from spectrum chemicals in powder form.
it's an antihistamine.
in order to be prescribed and included in SOC for HCV it would probably need to go through trials. My guess is burroughs will wait til australia gets results, and then tag on an isotope so they can patent it anew, if it works.
Why settle for 20 bucks if you can make 1000 right.
It would be nice if they would just let things pass through, even if they only help some.
but they keep using resistance at their mantra as to why not.
There are about 20 things I know of known to up our odds of SVRing, but none are currently being told to or prescribed to patients. The only way to find out is on the internet, but the docs are steering clear for the most part of ALL the things they could be doing or saying to help increase outcomes. It irks me. Can you tell?? mb
If it is a non controled substance does the FDA still have to Approve?
yes here it is.
http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00945880
although, why, when we discovered it, is it not being tested here state side is beyond me. unless my above remark has some basis in fact.
we should be testing, and approving this here, not waiting for someone else to figure it out....because then we will STILL have to go through trials and wait FDA approval here...
I wonder if one of these is the clemizole hydrochloride which I brought up in here last year...stanford discovered it and I think its in phase 1 trials now...an old antihistamine, I tried to get my doc to put me on it during chemo SOC but he wouldn't.
wish the article would say which ones "worked." I'm only aware of the clemizole but they mentioned 2...hmm...
..hopefully they'll find out soon so we can start getting it, but my guess is burroughs or whoever funds the research will try to alter the compound...attach an isotope or 2, so that a 10 dollar drug can become a 1000 dollar drug. there's no money to be made in older compounds. rolleyes.
I haven't kept up. There are, as you say, all kinds of irons in the fire. It really looks like the medical/scientific community are zeroing in and are close to some amazing breakthroughs. Great news for the future!
HaHaHa!!! I'm already a fossil. You are right though theres all kinds of irons in the fire for new drug technology.
It is fascinating and makes me wonder why we have not been able to figure out a more specific, less harmful TX for a virus before. Research is moving so fast now, with one discovery opening doors for another very quickly. Only the regulatory process (which is very, very important) slows things down. I think in 10 years, we will hopefully be completely away from interferon and all of us who treated the virus with interferon will be considered pioneers and dinosaurs. Thanks for posting the link.
You read it right. A new approach. All to the good.
For me though, I might see Boceprevir or Telaprevir if released by end of 2010 or at the very latest 2011. Might get real lucky and get a trial of one if SOC doesn't work. This breakthrough seems a bit far off to put a lot of hope into .. just speaking for me. But hey! potentially another weapon in the fight and, after all, Happiness is a belt-fed weapon.