Aa
Time for citizen action against Gilead
Hello All, Reuters and Forbes, etc... is projecting Gilead will rake in 13 BILLION dollars in 2014, for their Sovaldi/INF/RBV combo therapy. They are releasing their new 1 pill a day combo medication in October, if there are no snags with the FDA. A 12 week course of the new therapy, 84 pills, is going to have the price tag of $95,000. Who among us here can afford that? What are we supposed to do, sell our homes and move into a Winnebago in order to get treated? This is vulture capatalism at its' very worst. I don't care what their R&D budget was, they are deciding who can avoid years of losing liver function, possible liver cancer or transplant need, soley on the basis if you are rich or not. These corporations do respond to public pressure, but it has to be coordinated and immense. These oligarchs must be shamed in the court of public opinion. Anyone have ideas as to how we can mobilize such an effort? Here in the USA, when I call my local House member or Senator, I get some teenage intern "taking down my message to pass along to the Senator". That is all the further I have gotten going through "official" channels. Some of the nicest people I have ever met, either through a misspent youth, or an accident in the workplace, have contracted this pernicious disease. If the government would step in, get them to lower the cost to say $30,000 per patient, and offer a ten year, 0% interest repayment plan, Gilead would still make tens of billions. Medicare/Medicaid would save billions in late stage liver disease care, liver cancer treatments and transplants. It would end up saving them money in the long run. That however, requires politicians with long term thinking and caring for the people, and the courage to confront to big pharma. That would risk these huge corporations ire and thus their huge campaign contribution checks. In the end, it will be up to us to apply enough pressure to compel change. mac790
Unfortunately or fortunately, this is a country of Free Enterprise. I do agree that the treatment cost is prohibitive but where else are you going to go? I read somewhere that the 12 week treatment in India costs $1200.
Insurance companies in this country are reaping billions in policies and now they feel the heat. This is payback for all the people they denied coverage to when they had pre existing conditions. I have to give Obama a standing ovation for making it now illegal for insurance companies to deny coverage if you have an existing condition.
When the plasma TV's came out, I saw a 32" in a store. The price... $12,000. now you can buy one at Walmart for around $130, and so it will go with Harvoni when Gilead will have some competition. It's the American way. Stay tuned...
Magnum
Insurance companies in this country are reaping billions in policies and now they feel the heat. This is payback for all the people they denied coverage to when they had pre existing conditions. I have to give Obama a standing ovation for making it now illegal for insurance companies to deny coverage if you have an existing condition.
When the plasma TV's came out, I saw a 32" in a store. The price... $12,000. now you can buy one at Walmart for around $130, and so it will go with Harvoni when Gilead will have some competition. It's the American way. Stay tuned...
Magnum
Mac, so sorry I got the name wrong so did some searching and found her
Sometimes the search engine on here is really good. :)
http://www.medhelp.org/personal_pages/user/1797925
Sometimes the search engine on here is really good. :)
http://www.medhelp.org/personal_pages/user/1797925
Hi, there is a member her MHudnel and she started a petition (I think to the President) at one point trying to get the drug released in the first place so it can be done. I will try to find her and ask how she got started
Take Care
Dee
Take Care
Dee
Hello, I'm very glad your unsurance coverage paid the entire freight. There are a lot of people out there who are stuck in the proverbial 'rock and a hard spot). They make just enough money to not get the drugs for free, but can't afford a full featured plan that would cover 100% of the costs. I fall within that group
Pooh5811-- We are the only industrialized, "modern, Western style" society that treats health care a consumer commodity, and not a birth right. Health care or health care insurance is just another item you purchase, like cars and houses. If you are a citizen in these other countries, you are covered from cradle to grave, for every affliction known.At very little or no cost to the individual This raises the poltically charged word "socialism", of course.Thankfully, this a forum where politics is rarely mentioned, if at all. I feel that is the way it should be, because just as in the "unwritten rules of the tavern", religion and politics should be verboten, unless you enjoy the frequent brawls that accompany the mere mention of them. mac790
Pooh5811-- We are the only industrialized, "modern, Western style" society that treats health care a consumer commodity, and not a birth right. Health care or health care insurance is just another item you purchase, like cars and houses. If you are a citizen in these other countries, you are covered from cradle to grave, for every affliction known.At very little or no cost to the individual This raises the poltically charged word "socialism", of course.Thankfully, this a forum where politics is rarely mentioned, if at all. I feel that is the way it should be, because just as in the "unwritten rules of the tavern", religion and politics should be verboten, unless you enjoy the frequent brawls that accompany the mere mention of them. mac790
We grew up equating Jonas Salk with medication. Who runs the show now is akin to Michael Milliken. The system is no longer predominately about health or what is right or what is actually best for the patient. It's all about bank.
You are right and I totally agree with you. This was much of the reasoning I used against Interferon treatment for years but you find very few people who understand thinking outside of the latest trend. We are all pretty well indoctrinated with the propaganda of big pharm and sadly so are our doctors.
I'm starting to take a new look at Sovaldi since reading about the side effects and relapses many have and are going through and I wonder about what the toxic nature of these meds will do in the long run since there is no data supporting them. I have become rather ambivalent in pursuing my appeal for Olysio and am just as content to wait on Ledipasvir/Sovaldi now. But I also wonder if my liver can hold up another year with cirrhosis to see how this all pans out.
One should never ever totally and completely trust their doctor with knowing the ultimate truth in all this. I have had doctors I have loved before but the best are those who keep questioning. And so it is with each of us, we should always keep questioning and maintain some degree of skepticism. This is often decried as negativity. If so, so be it.
Thank you for your comment Scottie. It was a good reminder for me.
I'm starting to take a new look at Sovaldi since reading about the side effects and relapses many have and are going through and I wonder about what the toxic nature of these meds will do in the long run since there is no data supporting them. I have become rather ambivalent in pursuing my appeal for Olysio and am just as content to wait on Ledipasvir/Sovaldi now. But I also wonder if my liver can hold up another year with cirrhosis to see how this all pans out.
One should never ever totally and completely trust their doctor with knowing the ultimate truth in all this. I have had doctors I have loved before but the best are those who keep questioning. And so it is with each of us, we should always keep questioning and maintain some degree of skepticism. This is often decried as negativity. If so, so be it.
Thank you for your comment Scottie. It was a good reminder for me.
I agree with Hrsepwrguy. While Sofosbuvir is expensive, the treatment as a whole is cheaper than the triple med treatment with Interferon, Ribavirin, and a Protease Inhibitor.
I treated for 48 weeks with triple med Tx. Incivek was about $64,000 for 12 weeks of Incivek. A total of 48 weeks of Tx with Inteferon and Ribavirin was about $25,000 for the Interferon and about $17,000 for the Ribavirin. Well, that totals about $106,000 for 48 weeks of Tx. Then, I had multiple side effects that required medications to keep them in check. And I did not even need the really expensive drugs like Neupogen or Procrit to treat low hemoglobin or low Neutrophils. Then add in weekly labs for 12 weeks plus monthly labs for the remaining 36 weeks. Also add weekly doctor appts. for 12 weeks and monthly doctor visits for the following 36 weeks. Plus all of the doctor visits I needed for side effects. The derm problems alone added thousands of dollars to my total medical bill. Plus add in the cardiology appts and cardiology testing I needed when Incivek caused all sorts of systemic problems ..... another few thousand dollars.
Hepatitis C wreaks havoc on the entire body and it kills people. Anyone who thinks it does not kill, has his head in the sand. Sofosbuvir is not a miracle drug. It is more effective than previous treatments, but it does not cure everyone. We need an effective treatment for Hepatitis C and we need the drug companies to keep searching for effective cures for ALL people with Hepatitis C. That takes research and money and the drug companies, weather right or wrong, will charge high prices for that.
The new drugs are expensive, more than they should be, but they are more effective in treating Hep C and they are actually cheaper in all respects (monetary cost as well as effects on the body) than the triple med treatment with protease inhibitors. We need to keep things in perspective.
I treated for 48 weeks with triple med Tx. Incivek was about $64,000 for 12 weeks of Incivek. A total of 48 weeks of Tx with Inteferon and Ribavirin was about $25,000 for the Interferon and about $17,000 for the Ribavirin. Well, that totals about $106,000 for 48 weeks of Tx. Then, I had multiple side effects that required medications to keep them in check. And I did not even need the really expensive drugs like Neupogen or Procrit to treat low hemoglobin or low Neutrophils. Then add in weekly labs for 12 weeks plus monthly labs for the remaining 36 weeks. Also add weekly doctor appts. for 12 weeks and monthly doctor visits for the following 36 weeks. Plus all of the doctor visits I needed for side effects. The derm problems alone added thousands of dollars to my total medical bill. Plus add in the cardiology appts and cardiology testing I needed when Incivek caused all sorts of systemic problems ..... another few thousand dollars.
Hepatitis C wreaks havoc on the entire body and it kills people. Anyone who thinks it does not kill, has his head in the sand. Sofosbuvir is not a miracle drug. It is more effective than previous treatments, but it does not cure everyone. We need an effective treatment for Hepatitis C and we need the drug companies to keep searching for effective cures for ALL people with Hepatitis C. That takes research and money and the drug companies, weather right or wrong, will charge high prices for that.
The new drugs are expensive, more than they should be, but they are more effective in treating Hep C and they are actually cheaper in all respects (monetary cost as well as effects on the body) than the triple med treatment with protease inhibitors. We need to keep things in perspective.
This whole business of scaring the hell out of people over Hep C and having the American medical system pay billions and billions of dollars for hyper-expensive "cures" that cause as much or more harms as the disease itself has been just shameful.
It's not just Hep C treatment, either. It permeates American medicine through and through. So-called "foundations," "associations" and "advocates" funded by BigPharma and actually functioning as de facto sales forces. I was talking to a doctor the other day who said the new cholesterol guidelines will force every older person on to statins and she simply refuses to follow them any more. I know for a fact that a big chunk of what was a "normal" and healthy cholesterol level in the late 1980s can be "abnormal" now. They want to scare you. They want you to buy Lipitor. Don't think about the side effects.
I was reviewing my blood work the other day. Noticed how the values tightened up over the last 15 years. Saw how the American Kidney Foundation set "normal" values in blood work, requiring an even higher level of care and medication. See who really funds the American Kidney Foundation, who really calls the shots. It's on their website.
If my physician is not expressing some skepticism as to what BigPharma is saying, and if she is not searching to find who funded a particular piece of Medline / PubMed research, I can't trust her.
We grew up equating Jonas Salk with medication. What runs the show now is the likes of Michael Milliken. The system is no longer that much about health or what is right or what is actually best for the patient. It's all about bank.
It's not just Hep C treatment, either. It permeates American medicine through and through. So-called "foundations," "associations" and "advocates" funded by BigPharma and actually functioning as de facto sales forces. I was talking to a doctor the other day who said the new cholesterol guidelines will force every older person on to statins and she simply refuses to follow them any more. I know for a fact that a big chunk of what was a "normal" and healthy cholesterol level in the late 1980s can be "abnormal" now. They want to scare you. They want you to buy Lipitor. Don't think about the side effects.
I was reviewing my blood work the other day. Noticed how the values tightened up over the last 15 years. Saw how the American Kidney Foundation set "normal" values in blood work, requiring an even higher level of care and medication. See who really funds the American Kidney Foundation, who really calls the shots. It's on their website.
If my physician is not expressing some skepticism as to what BigPharma is saying, and if she is not searching to find who funded a particular piece of Medline / PubMed research, I can't trust her.
We grew up equating Jonas Salk with medication. What runs the show now is the likes of Michael Milliken. The system is no longer that much about health or what is right or what is actually best for the patient. It's all about bank.
Treatment with earlier DAA's really wasn't any cheaper, I treated with incivek for 48 wks, total treatment med cost approx 75k (that doesn't include all the money spent on meds and remedies for side effects or ANY high priced meds for anemia or low ANC counts, which MANY needed to complete treatment), figure in all the extra doc visits and bloodwork 48 wks entails and the price tag just gets higher, having HCV isn't cheap, sad but true
Gilead and Johnson & Johnson have excellent assistance program for low income and those on Medicaid. I was approved by both drug companies 12 days after I faxed in all the info they needed. I am currently taking Solvaldi & Olysio which is being paid 100% through them. I am forever thankful for what they have done for me and many more. It is really easy too just call their toll free # and they will walk you thru the process. Everyone I spoke to were very friendly and helpful.
I would love to be part of, or help form, a grass roots group/organization to support those who are dependent upon public insurance, but the politicians you would like to see help us are actually those who are busy making rules and laws to keep people from getting drugs like Sovaldi. Insurance and these politicians are who I would really like to see us fight. Oh, and the doctors who don't stand up to them.
Here in Oregon it is a bit different than other parts of the country. Oregon, Arkansas, and Indiana (or maybe its Illinois - sorry) have already put into effect laws that ration treatment with Sovaldi claiming that treatment will bankrupt the economy. However, quite recently Gilead offered Sovaldi to the Oregon Health Plan for only $55,000, rather than the normal $85,000 they charge in other states. Oregon declined the offer hoping for a better deal from Gilead I suppose. I don't believe anyone on the Oregon Health Plan, Oregon's affordable insurance or Medicaid, will see Ledipasvir/Sovaldi unless they move to another state. In fact, they have already stated that no one on the plan will receive Sovaldi. Last month they said they would allow treatment if a person had cirrhosis. This month they say no one. And you think Gilead is bad?
Congress is not about to fight Gilead to any real extent nor insurance, the real culprits in my opinion, and the doctors who follow along in rationing care. It would be nice if doctors here would quit trying to be administrators and start doing some actual healing.
Here in Oregon it is a bit different than other parts of the country. Oregon, Arkansas, and Indiana (or maybe its Illinois - sorry) have already put into effect laws that ration treatment with Sovaldi claiming that treatment will bankrupt the economy. However, quite recently Gilead offered Sovaldi to the Oregon Health Plan for only $55,000, rather than the normal $85,000 they charge in other states. Oregon declined the offer hoping for a better deal from Gilead I suppose. I don't believe anyone on the Oregon Health Plan, Oregon's affordable insurance or Medicaid, will see Ledipasvir/Sovaldi unless they move to another state. In fact, they have already stated that no one on the plan will receive Sovaldi. Last month they said they would allow treatment if a person had cirrhosis. This month they say no one. And you think Gilead is bad?
Congress is not about to fight Gilead to any real extent nor insurance, the real culprits in my opinion, and the doctors who follow along in rationing care. It would be nice if doctors here would quit trying to be administrators and start doing some actual healing.
I must concur with Almost. Sure, it's not right that Gilead makes so much money but when facing your imminent demise, you find a way to make it work
Everyone can have insurance under the Affordable Care Act:
http://obamacarefacts.com/obamacare-facts.php
We are so fortunate that exclusions for preexisting conditions are no longer permitted
Although I relapsed under the Sovaldi/Oylisio regimen, I can't wait until October 10th when the new drug is approved
My insurance shelled out all that money for the first "miracle" drug and I am very hopeful that they will do so again
I just paid a $30 copay and some additional lab costs
It's doubtful that you will find a champion in Congress to carry this issue - midterm elections and everything else going on at the moment make attacks on a pharmaceutical company who made a drug that is saving lives, not so compelling
Everyone can have insurance under the Affordable Care Act:
http://obamacarefacts.com/obamacare-facts.php
We are so fortunate that exclusions for preexisting conditions are no longer permitted
Although I relapsed under the Sovaldi/Oylisio regimen, I can't wait until October 10th when the new drug is approved
My insurance shelled out all that money for the first "miracle" drug and I am very hopeful that they will do so again
I just paid a $30 copay and some additional lab costs
It's doubtful that you will find a champion in Congress to carry this issue - midterm elections and everything else going on at the moment make attacks on a pharmaceutical company who made a drug that is saving lives, not so compelling
I have been cured using this expensive drug Sovaldi. Gilead offers programs to those who can't pay. I really doubt anyone really pays full price for this drug. I am thankful for Sovaldi no matter what the cost.
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