The Pharma Drug That Is Bankrupting America

[lovuian]

http://www.alternet.org/drugs/pharma-drug-bankrupting-america

How can Gilead Sciences charge $84,000 for a drug that costs less than $300 to produce? First, Gilead's patent on sofosbuvir runs until 2028, giving it a monopoly in the U.S. market.

[99th_Monkey]

1. This is just the tip of the TPP iceberg,

big pharma -- as I understand it -- wrote the 'trade law' to protect their patents even more, for longer, and gives them the ability to sue (in secret tribunals) anyone who stands in the way of them getting every last penny of their blood money.

[LeftyMom]

2. There are competitors nearing the market.

Gilead had a short window to make max money on the thing, it's already nearly gone.

But it's still a bargain compared to a liver transplant.

[onecaliberal]

3. For the poor it's death either way

[LeftyMom]

4. I'll let the relative who is taking it know he's imagining.

Personally I'm pretty happy I won't have to give him part of my liver.

[onecaliberal]

5. Enjoy the dust bin.

[Dragonfli]

6. Where is the relative getting the money if I may ask? /nt

[LeftyMom]

7. He's on more than one medical program.

He doesn't pay anything.

A liver transplant is half a mil and the live donor (me, in all likelihood) is out of work for months. That's the alternative, when were talking about what this stuff costs. Assuming that was even an option: the other option is always death.

[Dragonfli]

8. I ask because I know someone that can't get the money and our and her entire family

can't help enough financially (working class poor).

The deductible is more than double her weekly pay.
If you know any untried avenue please PM me, she already has cirrhosis and portal hypertension and is quite jaundiced.

[LeftyMom]

9. All of my information is CA specific, sadly.

Heck, if you were in my county I could tell you which intake office to go to and who to ask to see. :/

I'd start with the county medical office and the social worker at the local hospital. Fortunately the management medications for cirrhosis (usually lasix and spironolactone) are inexpensive and should slow down deterioration. Has her doctor ruled out interferon? The side effects suck and it doesn't work for everybody, but if that's what's available I'd do it. The side effects of Sovaldi also stink, I'm told, but it works for more people.

In any case, the next drugs are supposed to be better (fewer aide effects, supposedly) and should bring prices down. Last I heard they were expected this year.

[Dragonfli]

10. Thanks for the reply, they advise styrongly against Interferon /ribaviren

because one of the domino effects of the cirrhosis caused portal hypertension, in her case, is a very low platelet count and she was told interferon would worsen that and could cause her to bleed out, especially if she develops esophageal verices.

We already talked to a caseworker, it appears she would need to lose her job in order to get more help from the county, bu she needs that money for food and shelter. She talked to an SSDI lawyer and it appears in order for her cirrhosis to qualify she would have to be in the very end stages and by the time it went through we would be talking hospice.

I think we are going to have to get her fired and have her crash in her sister's bed with her, or pray, or both.

I made an appointment for her with Catholic Charities for next week, perhaps they can help navigate, they have helped others I know in the past dealing with the hurtles to survival experienced by the working poor.

[Ramses]

11. disgusting

[Warpy]

12. It would be far cheaper to spend that 12 weeks overseas

in a resort connected to a hospital in a country that has national health insurance bidding down the cost of that drug to something much more reasonable.

In fact, that's what I'd strongly suggest for anyone facing treatment.

People who stay in the US are just pigeons they want to pluck because they can.

[freshwest]

13. It's for chronic hepatitis C and is needed to stay alive. _____!

[lovuian]

14. Look at India

much cheaper there