Home Forums Main Forum Media & News Australian PBS Listing Australian PBS Listing – Almost Heaven

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  • #6957
    dope-on-a-rope.jpgDr James
    • Guardian Angel
    • ★★★★★
    @fixhepc

    If you’re a John Denver fan make sure you check this out:

    http://fixhepc.com/blog/item/33-pbs-listing-almost-heaven.html

    Or if you just want to Hear it from the Grange Hermitage of the Grapevine, read Minister’s or the AMA’s official statements, or read Australian Doctor’s commentary on the PBS listing you’ll find it all here.

    And Forrest. Forrest Gump.


    YMMV

    #7048
    Avatar photoTina-Hill-facebook
    • Guardian Angel
    • ★★★★★
    @tina-hill-facebook

    Ok so I did some calculations and with one billion spent on generic Daa’s @$1800 per tx then that’s a possible cure for 555.555 HCV patients
    So that’s Australia, New Zealand and US VA Marines and some left over..

    Approx 250 000 Australia
    50 000 NZL
    230 000 VA Marines.


    SVR 24

    #7169
    dope-on-a-rope.jpgDr James
    • Guardian Angel
    • ★★★★★
    @fixhepc

    Politically that would be nearly impossible to do, but the outcome would be as you predict.

    What we’ve got in Australia is pretty much the best case scenario likely to happen in the real world.

    Despite the price and notional pricing cap being “commercial in confidence” on 1st March I’m going to be able to walk into my local Chemist and get them to look up the price – that’s what they have to pay to get the medications in from the distributor. They are then paid back by the PBS in due course.

    How the government plans to work the price cap is fascinating – $0 distributor invoices – but then how do you know some pharmacies are not stocking up? I assume the government is going to have to be the sole distributor to make it work.


    YMMV

    #7194
    Avatar photoTina-Hill-facebook
    • Guardian Angel
    • ★★★★★
    @tina-hill-facebook

    Yes the eyes of the world will be on Australia to see how it all plays out, I imagine there will be some hiccups in the beginning which is to be expected. Either way its a massive step forward for all those Aussies living with HCV. A truly beautiful Xmas present, I really hope this spurs a flow on effect for the rest of the world. :cheer:


    SVR 24

    #7196
    Avatar photoJoy
    • Guardian Angel
    • ★★★★★
    @joy

    Yes Tina, I agree. An outstanding negotiation, thank you to whoever was responsible. (Does anyone know their name(s)?)

    No doubt what Dr James and Greg Jefferys have been doing helped.

    Merry Christmas to all. :lol:

    #7205
    Avatar photoTina-Hill-facebook
    • Guardian Angel
    • ★★★★★
    @tina-hill-facebook

    Right on there Joy, there is NO doubt in my mind that if it were not for The Buyers Club, Doc & Greg that this may well not of happened. I know the politicians will be patting themselves on the back for doing a good job but hey we know the real truth aye.


    SVR 24

    #7208
    Avatar photoJoy
    • Guardian Angel
    • ★★★★★
    @joy

    They certainly put Tassie on the map.

    :cheer:

    #7231
    Avatar photodointime
    • Guardian Angel
    • ★★★★★
    @dointime

    Gotta hand it to the politicians, they played a devious hand. In the end, all they really had to do was say NO to Gilead’s prices and turn a blind eye to the use of generics in their country. Then market forces prevailed. South Africa set the precedent years ago over HIV meds. Thus the world has been reminded for the 2nd time how it is done.

    So to all the pussies sitting in positions of power out there, looking on while hepC meds are rationed and the worldwide hepC epidemic rages I say – get your act together. When Australia is declared free of HepC and the spotlight turns to questions on why your country is still infected, heads are going to roll.

    I don’t doubt that none of this would have come about without the Doc and Greg’s courageous stance on the use of generics. This has been a momentous year for hepC treatment. I have lived through it myself. At the start of the year I had no prospects of obtaining the meds I needed. By the end of the year I had my meds, there were multiple choices of meds and trusted methods of obtaining them. When the books are written on how all this came to pass, those in the medical profession, the doctors, the specialists, who stood on the sidelines and refused to help, will be seen as yesterday’s men and women.

    dt

    #7333
    Avatar photosabrecat
    • Guardian Angel
    • ★★★★★
    @sabrecat

    Hi dointime,

    “I don’t doubt that none of this would have come about without the Doc and Greg’s courageous stance on the use of generics. This has been a momentous year for hepC treatment. I have lived through it myself. At the start of the year I had no prospects of obtaining the meds I needed. By the end of the year I had my meds, there were multiple choices of meds and trusted methods of obtaining them.

    says it all.

    #7455
    Avatar photoisaing4
    • Guardian Angel
    • ★★★★★
    @isaing4

    I’m happy for all people with hepatitis C who live in a country as big as a continent, Australia.
    And I think they rushed because of the work of special people like dr. James Freeman and Greg Jefferys.
    I hope that the example of Australia will be taken over by other countries.
    Success in getting treatment to all, in the coming year! :lol:


    HCV since I don’t know. Diagnosed in 2010.
    GT1b, F0/F1, VL 9M, ALT 44, AST 42, Tx naive,
    started 12 wks Twinvir on 06.12.2015. Feeling great and grateful 🙂
    virus not detected 06.02.2016 & SVR24
    isaing4@gmail.com

    #9066
    Jimmy6429
    • Topics: 0
    • Replies: 52
    • Total: 52
    • Recovery Champion
    • ★★★★
    @jimmy6429
    isaing4 wrote:

    I’m happy for all people with hepatitis C who live in a country as big as a continent, Australia.
    And I think they rushed because of the work of special people like dr. James Freeman and Greg Jefferys.
    I hope that the example of Australia will be taken over by other countries.
    Success in getting treatment to all, in the coming year! :lol:

    Yes isaing4 we are lucky in that sense in Australia, but a very expensive waste of money which could be going elsewhere if we chose to use generics. Politics ARGH,,,, I hope also some governments overseas will decide to open the back door also and let in the the generics from the Beacons, Inceptas and Natcos etc, we can dream perhaps,,,

    South Africa showed the way with HIV, I hope some people in power can see the logic of a population that is cured of hepc and can once again contribute instead of drowning in this miserable viral curse for years on end.

    Speaking to various liver clinics in Sydney they have 2-3 month waiting lists already for the DAAs from Greeead, they also do not intend to ramp (put on more staff) up as on the DAAs we need little management, people I know are still logging into gp2u to get scripts, a month or two or three or four of new life is worth every penny, one person actually said to me “why should the taxpayer foot the bill for my stupid mistake 30 years ago, I can afford it so I am going ahead with gp2u and getting cured long before the liver clinics in Sydney can see me”

    And yes I agree without Dr James intervention and Greg Jefferies ground breaking work we would not be where we are now, Australians of the year votes for the pair of em, the bloody UN and WHO should be thanking them for goodness sakes.

    Subvert the dominant paradigm ! Always ask “WHY?” and always ask WHY NOT?

    jim


    3 years cured, Sof/Dac, thanks Doc Freeman, hepc only a distant memory, go for it ppl

    #9147
    Avatar photoSirchinenge
    • Guardian Angel
    • ★★★★★
    @sirchinenge

    “Yes isaing4 we are lucky in that sense in Australia, but a very expensive waste of money which could be going elsewhere if we chose to use generics. Politics ARGH,,,, I hope also some governments overseas will decide to open the back door also and let in the the generics from the Beacons, Inceptas and Natcos etc, we can dream perhaps,,,”

    Jimmy, do you mean if we choose Not to use generics surely you’d save money bu using them.

    Can someone explain this to me;

    I think its being suggested Australia is paying very little per treatment once they spend a X hundred million per
    year then the manufacturers kick in and give it free. Am I right.

    It sounds like a great deal for you guys, I would think like others its down to The revolution started with generics!


    Sob/Dac from Oct 29 2015
    Geno 1b
    Fiberscan 9.9 Pre treatment
    Fiberscan 7.4 week 10
    VL 1.3 million pre treatment
    Week 2.5 VL 96
    Week 5.5 VL 17
    Week 10 VL UD
    SVR 3 UD
    SVR 16 UD
    Cured:
    All liver functions in normal ranges.

    #9165
    avatar876.jpegGaj
    • Guardian Angel
    • ★★★★★
    @gaj

    Hi Sir,

    Yes, I believe that is what Jimmy is saying, generics would be cheaper and we could use the saved money elsewhere.

    Based on current Indian/Pakistani generics bulk buy prices it would appear possible to treat the whole Australian HCV population of approx. 230,000 for less than half a billion A$ (including those like myself who require 24wks). Yet our government has chosen the brand name path for one billion to treat what will probably turn out to be only a small proportion of those infected.

    So:

    Generics
    A$500,000,000/230,000 = A$2,174 or US$1,522 avg per treatment max cost if everyone wants treatment.

    Or

    Branded
    A$1,000,000,000/230,000 = A$4,348 or US$3,440 avg per treatment assuming we can process at least 46,000 treatments per year (but we pay the full billion either way)

    IMHO the first option sounds like better economics and I suspect average cost would be significantly less than the generous price I have allowed.

    And a spare half a billion dollars is quite a bit of money that could be used by our medical system to treat other ailments.


    G3a since ’78 – Dx ’12 – F4 (2xHCC)
    24wk Tx – PEG/Riba/Dac 2013 relapsed
    24wk Tx – Generic Sof/Dac/Riba 2015/16 relapsed
    16wk Tx – 12/01/17 -> 03/05/17 NS3/NS5a + Generic Sof
    SVR7 – 22/06/17 UND
    SRV12 – 27/07/17 UND
    SVR24 – 26/10/17 UND
    :cheer: :cheer: :cheer:

    #9221
    Avatar photoStew-H
    • Topics: 2
    • Replies: 28
    • Total: 30
    • Treatment Warrior
    • ★★★
    @stew-h

    But what happens if Labor win the next election , are the Liberals PBS promises binding?
    OR
    If the economy takes a dive there may be caveats on who gets what when. Harvoni maybe only available to those who are very sick and may need another liver.
    It could be a year before the average Joe gets Harvoni via the PBS system, so thank goodness for the generic versions available.


    Diagnosed Hep C 2013
    Geno Type: 1a
    Treatment: Naïve
    Cirrhosis
    F4
    2015 GGT 227 AST 79 ALT 89 Platelets 88
    2016 Treatment Generic Harvoni Finished 29 March 2016
    GGT 30 AST 19 ALP 67 Platelets 91
    Qualitative Test Results April 12
    Hepatitis C NAT (NA): Not Detected
    P.C.R Test for Hep C 4th July: Negative
    Virus Free
    stewart.henstock@hotmail.com

    #9237
    Avatar photoSirchinenge
    • Guardian Angel
    • ★★★★★
    @sirchinenge

    Sure, absolutely Generics would be way less then brand names I wasn’t sure what he
    was suggesting you cleared it up nicely.

    No doubt,if every country spent on Generics everyone would be treated for far less then is being spent,
    then you also have cancer drugs the same could be applied too them.

    if your assumption is correct, at 3/4 k per treatment its the lowest prices any rich country has
    manage to negotiate that I am aware of which is amazing.

    I guess, my over all feeling is if the pricing is around 2/3/4 K per treatment its a fantastic result for you
    guys, I would hope it means the rest of the world starts to think about trying to lower what they pay.

    Its obvious it can be done.


    Sob/Dac from Oct 29 2015
    Geno 1b
    Fiberscan 9.9 Pre treatment
    Fiberscan 7.4 week 10
    VL 1.3 million pre treatment
    Week 2.5 VL 96
    Week 5.5 VL 17
    Week 10 VL UD
    SVR 3 UD
    SVR 16 UD
    Cured:
    All liver functions in normal ranges.

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