Yeah, absolutely agree. As usual, this kind of calculation starts with the implicit assumption that the cost of treatment is a "given" and then goes on to analyse the complex medical question of whether and how a certain treatment is "cost-effective".
Brilliant. I can do that kind of thing myself with absolutely no medical training. Its not that much different from working out whether it is cost-effective to take a holiday from time to time.
Why do so few medical people start from the right place before they do their complex calculation - i.e. why don't they ever ask what is the true cost of a drug treatment, and why are so many people suffering due to corporate greed and price-fixing?
<rant>
And while I'm on the subject, It really pisses me off me every time I read the standard Gilead speel about how their treatment is cost-effective compared to a liver transplant...
What about the human and job-productivity cost of waiting all those years until you get to the (almost dead) state of actually needing a liver transplant?
<end rant>
Diagnosed Jan 2015: GT3, A0+F0/F1. Fatigue + Brain-Fog.
Started Sof+Dac from fixHepC 10-Nov-2015. NO sides.
Pre-Tx: AST 82, ALT 133, Viral Load 1 900 000.
Week4: AST 47, ALT 58. VL < 15 (unquantifiable).
Week12 (EOT): AST 30, ALT 26, VL UND
Week16 (EOT+4): AST 32, ALT 28, GGT 24, VL UND
Week28 (EOT+16): AST 26, ALT 22, GGT 24, VL UND
Ever grateful to Dr James.
Relapsed somewhere after all that... Bummer!
Jan 2018: VL 63 000 (still GT3).