Large firms in heated race for affective treatments

[IMstacie]

A lot of articles in Bloomberg, Marketwatch, etc.  "10/29/2010-A number of pharma firms including Merck (NYSE:MRK), Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) and Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE:BMY) are in a heated race to come up with newer more affective treatments for hepatitis C.  The global market is forecasted to more than double by 2015 to $9 billion.  Large pharma firms are hitting it hard to find other avenues of growth".

Looks like HCV is becoming the virus of choice for the big drug firms and the small caps.  It's sad that so much of the world's population has to be infected for this to happen.  On the other hand it can be seen as positive in order to find a more affective treatment.

[IAmTheWalrus]

Yeah, it might also explain why much less research is directed twoard a vaccine. I think $20K+ treatment per patient is lots better than a once/lifetime shot. It is kind of too bad. But still, better TX is better TX, so I am not complaining, just making the observation.

[IMstacie]

I've read where the overall cost for a 48 month combined tx of Interferon/Riba, including labs and any procedures could be around $25,000 to $45,000.  The costs were depend on the weight based dosage, the helper drugs, etc.

[speed502]

I don't know for sure what the cost of the INF/Riba alone was but I was told that the total cost of my 6 months of tx and post tx tests would be in the range of $75,000 and that was 10 years ago. The global market doubling to $9 billion by 2015 seems rather low. Then again tx costs in other countries may be much lower. Does anyone know the actual cost of just the drugs in today's dollars?

[nutpea]

A girl @ the store asked me how I was. I told her next year they will probally come out with new drugs and shorter tx. she said then she will go get tested. She said she probally has it. But dos'nt want to know right now. So as cure rates go up . and treatment shortens, and when they find other alternitives for svr or cure. Then many more people will go and get tested. That lady @ store has a friend who has been tx for along time and a second go. So she dont want to get tested. And many more people healed?