This article about the rationale for using generic hepatitis C medication has just been published in Liver International in their section "Debates in Hepatology". Click on the image to read it:
The use of generic medications for hepatitis C
James A. D. Freeman1 and Andrew Hill2
1 GP2U Telehealth, Hobart, Tas., Australia
2 St Stephens AIDS Centre, Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, London, UK
Abstract
Hepatitis C, hepatitis B, HIV, TB and malaria are the five major causes of infectious disease death worldwide. In a breakthrough that rivals the invention of penicillin, drugs that cure hepatitis C, with minimal side effects and high success rates, have reached the market, but, in what must be one of the greatest tragedies of modern times, these life-saving medications are not being deployed on a mass scale. Pharmaceutical patents are gifted to private corporations by governments for the dual purposes of protecting R&D expenditure and encouraging innovation. Unfortunately the monopoly pricing power these patents provision currently lacks adequate checks and balances, is open to abuse, and is quite clearly being abused. The sort of legislative changes required to deliver on the original goals of pharmaceutical patents will take years or even decades to eventuate. Parallel importation of generic medication offers hope to the millions of patients with HCV unable to afford access to vastly overpriced originator medications. Doctors prescribing and monitoring patients taking generics can take comfort from the fact that the REDEMPTION trial results show, like the HIV generics that came before them, that HCV generics deliver robust clinical results.
It will be interesting to see how vested interest groups will try to manipulate, or refute, the data presented in the article, when critiquing it, or attempting to mount a counter argument to justify the status quo. It’s going to take a very skilled spin doctor to do so. The spin, however, will be predicable ... there's only so many ways you can lie about the same thing over and over ....
1983: Hospitalised with Acute non-A, non-B Hepatitis after ICU blood transfusion 3mths earlier => HCV GT2
22/02/16: (pre-tmt) ALT 61, VL 2.48 IU/ml Hepascore 0.32 (F1/2), fatigue, brain fog, bloating (Treatment Naïve)
10/04/16: (Start tmt) Sofovir +DaclaHep (SOF + DCV) by Hetero Labs in India
09/05/16: ALT 34, VL: NOT Detected , FBG 11.9
17/6/16 FBG 5.7; PPBG (@14.22) 6.9 (@ 20.45) 7.1; BP 124/72 (Accu-Chek Mobile & Omron Auto BP Monitor)
Congratulations . Who knew a medical journal article could be such a gratifying read.
Genotype 3 30 years, 2x treatment interferon/ribavirin non responder. Cirrhosis 17 years. Fibroscan, decompensating, 40 down to 22 by 29/3/16- now down to 6.5, normal, no cirrhosis. Started Buyers Club Sof/Dac 14 Nov 15. SVR 12 29/0716
Dr F - can you keep let us know if response letters get published in forthcoming issues of the journal please?
I suspect they will be interesting!
Patrick
45 yo male; UK; HCV since 1996; G4; F2-3 (fibroscan score 9.1);
Null responder interferon/ribavirin 2008;
4/16 Harvoni 8 weeks; Pre-tx VL 2.1 million; week 4 VL 269; EOT UND; but...
6/16 Tx extended w/ generic sof/dac x 12 weeks due to concerns around my slow response to Harvoni. UND at end of 2nd round of treatment and EOT+4.
In fiecare an HCV ucide peste 500000 oameni.Medicamentele generice pentru hepatita C functioneaza. Nu deveni statistica! Cauta pe Google “medicamente generice pentru hepatita C”.
HCV kills more than 500000 people every year. HCV generic drugs work. Don't become a statistic.
By sharing this Youtube video you might save someone’s life!
My TX: HEPCVIR-L[generic Harvoni]-India
SVR52 achieved
Thank you Dr. Freeman, for this addition to our ever growing arsenal of weapons we can utilize in this fight against the enemies weapons of choice. That is, ignorance and deliberate misinformation, aimed at FixhepC and generic efficacy.
Excuse me for using the wartime analogies, but for most of us here, we are truly in a fight for our lives and this seems apropos.
MK
GT1a; Got it some time in the 70's; Diagnosed @1976
Tx naive
METAVIR: A2-F2
SOT May 18, 2016: CMP: AST 162 ALT 241 VL 13000000
3 weeks after SOT: AST 27 ALT 31 VL 138
Reached EOT Aug. 10, 2016 / Received svr4 results Sept. 20, 2016: AST 22 ALT 24
Hep C RNA "NOT DETECTED"
AS OF 3/20/2017 ,Hep C RNA PCR "NOT DETECTED" THAT'S SVR24!
Attachments:
The following user(s) said Thank You: pat1, Ariel, fitz
Liver International - Debates in Hepatology
8 years 2 months ago #18535
Vindecat de HCV cu med. generice. Cured with generics HCV drugs.
Posts: 389
Karma: 15
Thank you received: 1594
(Please consider this message as a kind of fun/joke/crazy idea):
Thinking on the compare made in the article about producing the wine, I was getting amuzed by the idea of how would it be if one could make at home his/her own Sovaldi or Harvoni ?
That would be a nice dream for HCV patients, perhaps a nightmare for Gilead.
(I end this message with " Do not try this at home")
Cheers
RHF
In fiecare an HCV ucide peste 500000 oameni.Medicamentele generice pentru hepatita C functioneaza. Nu deveni statistica! Cauta pe Google “medicamente generice pentru hepatita C”.
HCV kills more than 500000 people every year. HCV generic drugs work. Don't become a statistic.
By sharing this Youtube video you might save someone’s life!
My TX: HEPCVIR-L[generic Harvoni]-India
SVR52 achieved