Friday, October 10, 2014

As Hepatitis Pill Harvoni Joins Sovaldi, States Erect Medicaid Hurdles

As Hepatitis Pill Harvoni Joins Sovaldi, States Erect Medicaid Hurdles
Bruce Japsen
WSJ

Here are some examples cited of what the Viohl study said some state Medicaid programs are doing to curb Sovaldi costs.... 
several states, including Arizona, have implemented a “once in a lifetime” rule that allows Medicaid patients one opportunity at treatment with Sovaldi 
Alaska requires the patient candidate for Sovaldi to abstain from using drugs and alcohol for at least three months. Then, the patient has to submit to a urine test to verify being drug free 
West Virginia only allows a board certified gastroenterologist, hepatologist or infectious disease specialist to prescribe Sovaldi 
Several states won’t pay for any lost or stolen Sovaldi 
Illinois, which requires patients to meet more than two dozen criteria before they get Sovaldi, will only dispense the drug for two weeks at a time for a total of 12 weeks.

Read the full article here.....


2 comments:

  1. all these problems have arisen due to Gilead's exec's unbounded greed overpricing Harvoni out of reach to dying patents.. So it will be no surprise when I read from my local newspaper that dying patients walk into Gilead's various offices and give back some of the death and pain the so deserving greedy bastards children deserve so badly.

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  2. The Indian Patent Controller has today rejected one of Gilead’s key patent applications which covered the drug sofosbuvir, used to treat hepatitis C (HCV). The oral drug, which first received regulatory approval in the US in November 2013, and has been priced by Gilead at US$84,000 for a treatment course, or $1,000 per pill in the US, has caused a worldwide debate on the pricing of patented medicines.

    A study from Liverpool University showed that sofosbuvir could be produced for as little as $101 for a three-month treatment course.

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