Tuesday, August 4, 2015

HCV Drug Wars - So doctors want Congress to force drug prices down? “What we’re fighting is the greed”



So doctors want Congress to force drug prices down?

By Brian McNicoll
Physicians and others complain Harvoni and Solvadi – miracle drugs that appear to cure Hepatitis C in most cases – can cost up to $90,000 for a full cycle of treatment.

They say oncology drugs, which account for $80 billion per year in sales – no others reach even $50 billion – have gone up five-fold to 10-fold in the last 15 years. And some of the newest therapies run to $150,000 per year and could double in cost in coming years.

“What we’re fighting is the greed,” said Ayalew Tefferi, a hematologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., and a cosigner of the op-ed. “The greed and the additional maneuvering that is being exercised after you’ve already recoupled what you’ve invested. There is no control, no regulation.”

Continue reading....

Related
August Updates
An index of articles pointing the reader to the current controversy over the high price of new HCV drugs.

Aging will affect Medicare’s Hepatitis C mortality and cost
By Bruce S. Pyenson, Gabriela Dieguez, Ryan Cannon | 16 July 2015
Baby Boomers make up the majority of HCV-infected people in the U.S. The nature of HCV infection means that if patients are not treated prior to Medicare eligibility, the disease will progress in some patients and future Medicare expenditures may rise. The future cost of treating medical complications due to HCV infection poses a burden not yet fully understood.
This report was commissioned by AbbVie.
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HCV DRUG Wars - The Federal & State Medicaid Deceit, Lies & Scandal..... Compare Prices - HCV Drug Pricing vs New Cholesterol Drugs 
(08/03/15)
-federal govt is holding patients hostage------"each & every year the federal govt spends domestically $21 billion on HIV through medicaid & medicare BUT NOTHING essentially for HEPATITIS C a disease epidemic that can be cured with 12 weeks tolerable therapy - IT'S POLITICS -

Restrictions for Medicaid Reimbursement of Sofosbuvir for the Treatment of Hepatitis C Virus Infection in the United States
The aim of this study was to systematically evaluate state Medicaid policies for the treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection with sofosbuvir in the United States.

 

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