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Tag: hepatitis C

  • Pam Anderson Gets Naked To Celebrate Being ‘Cured’ Of Hepatitis C

    Some people get ice cream when they recover from an illness; others post nudie pics of themselves on social media. Case in point: Pamela Anderson.

    The blonde bombshell received great news recently and took to Instagram to celebrate the event. After being diagnosed with Hepatitis C in 2002, Anderson revealed on Saturday that she is completely free of the disease.

    The racy photo, which shows a younger Pamela Anderson relaxing in a yacht in her birthday suit, appeared with the caption, “I am CURED!!!

     Anderson has good reason to celebrate as Hepatitis C is a serious liver disease that could lead to death by way of cirrhosis or liver cancer. She had contracted the disease more than a decade ago after sharing a tattoo needle with her then-husband, rocker Tommy Lee. The ex-lovers remain friends after divorcing in 1998, and they have been seen attending the same various charity events, including animal rights causes.

    Since there is currently no vaccine to prevent one from acquiring the disease, Anderson tried other alternatives. In an interview with People magazine, the former Baywatch babe revealed that she had been taking a new and pricey FDA-approved antiviral pill that could cure the disease within weeks.

    Unfortunately, Hepatitis C medication is currently manufactured by very few companies, resulting in sky-high prices that average people might not be able to afford. Being aware of this, Pamela Anderson added the message, “I pray anyone living with Hep C can qualify or afford treatment. It will be more available soon. I know treatment is hard to get still…#dontlosehope #itworkedforme #thereisacure.”

  • Hepatitis C Pill FDA Approved: Will They Lower The $100,000 Price Tag?

    Hepatitis C drug Harvoni (which combines Solvadi with ledipasvir) was approved on Friday by the FDA.

    The prescription drug promises to cure Hepatitis C sufferers in as few as eight weeks.

    While the drug is meant to be an easy cure, it will likely remain out of the price range of most of the 3.2 million Americans who suffer from the disease.

    Insurance companies are already balking at the notion of having to cover the $94,000 treatment, which may force patients to try and pay out-of-pocket for the drug.

    Gilead Sciences Inc, stands by the high cost of this unique prescription option.

    “Older therapies were not sufficiently effective or tolerable to continue to be used as the standard of care,” said Gregg Alton, the executive vice-president for the California-based company.

    Said Alton, “We will continue to work with payers to help them understand the scientific and medical evidence.”

    He seems to have missed that it’s not the science people are struggling with—It’s the price tag.

    If every person suffering from Hepatitis C took the medicine as priced by Gildead, it would reportedly equal or exceed the price of ALL other drug medications in the United States!

    “We believe that the price being demanded is still inappropriately high for a product targeting such a large group of patients,” said Express Scripts Holding Co. spokesman David Whitrap.

    “New innovations do not always require inappropriate, premium pricing.”

    Is Harvoni’s “wonder drug” overpriced to an exploitative degree?

    A report by Bloomberg on the drug pointed out that many of the people who suffer from Hepatitis C in America come from low income backgrounds.

    The only hope for Hepatitis C patients is that cheaper alternatives are soon made available or the US government does something to regulate pricing.

    Otherwise, the “wonder drug” meant to cure this devastating disease will likely be out of reach for the majority of the people who actually need it.

  • $1000-A-Pill Sovaldi A Breakthrough Or A Burden?

    It’s a pill that cures hepatitis C in 9 out of 10 patients, leading medical societies to recommend it as the first line of treatment against the illness. The catch of Sovaldi, a new pill for hepatitis C, is its price tag: $1000 for a pill, with treatment costs ballooning up to $90,000, according to an Associated Press report.

    “People are going to want to try to dodge this hot potato,” says economist Douglas Holtz-Eakin.

    The “hot potato” in question is the cost versus the benefit of Sovaldi, as insurance companies and state Medicaid programs are struggling with the price. In Oregon, officials are proposing to limit the amount of low-income people that can get Sovaldi.

    Still, for many with hepatitis C, an illness that killed 15,000 in 2007 when it surpassed AIDS as a cause of death, the pill provides a much-needed relief from other treatments that cost five-figures anyway and cause debilitating side effects.

    Before the pill’s approval last year, standard treatment for the most common form of hepatitis C included daily pills and extended use of interferon, an injection that causes flu-like symptoms. With Savoldi, the length needed for interferon is lowered, making treatment more tolerable for patients.

    “If it’s going to get me the medicine, I’ll put my hand out there with a tin cup,” Stuart Rose, a hepatitis C patient in New York City, told the Associated Press.

    More than 3 million Americans carry the hepatitis C virus, and many are not aware of it. It’s a disease that can be transmitted via infected blood and sometimes through sexual activity. It progresses gradually and can destroy the liver, with transplants averaging $577,000.

    Drug maker Gilead Sciences, Inc., reported sales of Sovaldi of $2.3 billion worldwide in just the first three months of the year, because the drug’s high cure rate makes it a “a real huge value,” vice president Gregg Alton told the Associated Press.

    In many countries, governments set drug prices. In the U.S., insurance companies are left to negotiate with drug companies, with Medicare forbidden from bargaining. This, some say, saddles the U.S. with high drug costs, leading to the situations like with Sovaldi.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • $1,000-A-Pill Sovaldi: Salvation Or Rip-Off?

    Whoever said there is no money to be made in curing the sick has never heard of Sovaldi. The drug boasts the ability to cure Hepatitis-C in 9 out of every 10 patients who use it.

    But it’s a cure that is outside of the price range of many people.

    Each pill you take in an effort to potentially save your life will cost you upwards of $1,000!

    Needless to say that in this economy, not too many people have thousands of dollars just lying around. Especially if they are presently sick and stuck trying to pay various medical expenses.

    Insurance companies? State Medicaid programs?

    Well, imagine them as unconscious after having fainted at the hefty price tag. Even if Sovaldi justifies its $90,000 treatment cost with the word “cure”, it seems to too expensive for those first tasked with covering the cost.

    No matter how desperate low income patients may be for Sovaldi, it’s likely they’ll simply never get a hold of the pricey “miracle” pills.

    This is especially unfortunate since studies show that even if Sovaldi weren’t available, these organizations and businesses would still be shelling out a load of cash to cover medical expenses for Hepatitis-C patients.

    It’s likely that rationing will occur. Special circumstances will require very specific patients be awarded the opportunity to use Sovaldi. Expect lots of hoop-jumping, red tape, and “technicalities”.

    We’re perhaps seeing the reality of what a cure actually means in the 21st century: There’s more money in curing people than treating them. That is, if they can afford either option.

    Things are going swimmingly for Gilead Sciences, Inc., the drug maker responsible for putting Sovaldi on the market. The company reported earnings of $2.3 billion within the first three months of 2014.

    Despite the high cost, vice president Gregg Alton insists that it is in fact “a real huge value” and a virtual bargain for anyone who can afford to buy it.

    For everyone else it’s business as usual.

    Do YOU think $1,000-a-pill is too much to pay for a life-saving cure? Comment below!

    Image via YouTube

  • Sovaldi: $1,000-A-Pill Wonder Drug Cures Hepatitis C, Burdens Medicaid

    Sovaldi is a new pill that cures hepatitis C in 9 out of 10 patients, studies say, but the treatment costs $90,000.

    Hepatitis C affects the liver, and medical societies suggest Sovaldi to be taken as a first-line treatment for the disease. However, Medicaid programs and insurance companies are saying that the treatment costs too much.

    Each pill of Sovaldi costs $1,000, and some states are already having budgetary issues. The price of the treatment is hitting Medicaid programs hard, as many patients who are in need of the treatment have low incomes, with most of them needing government insurance aid.

    Sovaldi: Hard Pill To Swallow

    However, if the pill did not exist, patients would still be turning to other treatments, which cost up to five figures to treat hepatitis C. These alternative treatments have more side effects and are less effective than Sovaldi.

    Sources indicate that over three million Americans are affected with hepatitis C. It is a health concern, since it can be transmitted through sexual contact or blood. Health authorities are advising people to be tested.

    Stuart Rose, a hepatitis C patient from New York, said, “If it’s going to get me the medicine, I’ll put my hand out there with a tin cup.” Rose’s insurance only pays $4,000 annually for his medications, but he was able get hold of Sovaldi with the help of charitable foundations.

    The high cost of Sovaldi surprised Medicaid programs and some are considering restricting treatment to patients who are the sickest. Other states are also thinking about a separate financing plan for Sovaldi.

    Sovaldi is to be taken once a day for 12 weeks. It reduces the length of interferon treatment, which makes it more tolerable for hepatitis c patients. Gilead Sciences, Inc., maker of Sovaldi, has also developed a new hepatitis C treatment that does not require the use of interferon. The pill is nearing approval, but the price has yet to be disclosed.

    Image via YouTube