TOPIC:

In one of the posts on this forum ( fixhepc.com/forum/graphic-art-corner/1296-oasis.html#21536) I briefly mentioned that in Romania, before 1989 (Romanian revolution), people could watch the TV only 2 hours per day (that was the time the national TV station - the only TV in RO at that time - was active in one day).
Without going into a political debate ( I have no intention for this), I also do remember that in those times people were hidding in their homes in order to listen the radio station "Free Europe Radio" (Radio Europa Libera) and so to be upated with news about what happens in the world. The authorities from those times did not like this, and everybody was fearing they will be punished if it will become known that one has listened the Free Europe Radio station.

So, what does this story has to do with the HCV treatment with generic drugs?

I would say some things are common.

I would look at the 2 hours/day of TV transmissions as being what many healthcare systems worldwide advocate today: HCV being treated with IFN+RIB.
I would look at the Free Europe Radio as being the generic drugs: people know that the generic drugs exists and are effective (as everybody has now a "radio"=PC with internet connection, and is able to read information about HCV generic drugs), however many avoid to talk openly about the generic drugs because they fear of potential punishments.

I think that one thing that will enable the launch of the mass treatment of HCV patients with generic drugs is the freedom of speech. As long as patients and doctors fear to talk about it, the mass treatment will be delayed.If they could talk open about it, things would be different.

Cheers,
RHF

For those who have seen the last Mad Max movie (Mad Max: Fury Road) perhaps the scene from below is already known:



Thinking on the 200 million HCV patients worldwide, I find it so much resembling ..... with the sad truth about the rationalized access to the life saving HCV medicines....

Of course, you may fantasize who Immortan Joe might be in our real world, or who his disciples could be ....

Cheers,
RHF

I just found an article today ("IAS 2017: Closing ceremony exposes Gilead Sciences") that I believe it should be posted here:
makemedicinesaffordable.org/en/ias-2017-...ses-gilead-sciences/

To keep it short, watch the ~6 minutes from this video (from 10min30sec) to follow this guy, Othoman Mellouk:


Cheers,
RHF

I decided to write this post after having read couple of news which say that hospitals (in UK) might run out of HCV patients .... some similar news I read about NZ. If I look to my country, I see that things are lately quite silent about HCV. Less and less people talk in media about it.

In all this situation one thing keeps me somehow irritated: accessing the treatment continues to be hard! Going to the doctor, doing the tests, getting the pills are not at all easy. It takes a lot of time and effort and bureaucracies..... Just to explain this: recently there was in my country a big medical conference during which the doctors discussed about how hard it is for them to give the treatment to those who qualify for the cure. And this is due to various bureaucratic constraints and limitations. And F0-F2 patients still do not get the cure.

So, if I would be a person not knowing to have HCV, but knowing how problematic it is to get the treatment, would I check myself? In such a context and in a lack of sickness symptoms, I would NOT do the check. And this has nothing to do with the level of education. I would simply not feel encouraged to do the HCV test.

Hopefully some open-minded persons, having enough authority power to do something, will read this message and realize how important it is to:
- open largely the gates for getting the treatment (and the generic HCV medication is a great tool for this)
- simplify the process to get the treatment (for me getting the generic HCV treatment last year was much more simple than the steps I had to do when I received the interferon based treatment).
- let people know not that HCV can be treated, rather let them know how easy HCV can be treated. This word "easy" counts so much in raising the awareness......

For sure in such a context people will be more willing to get tested. For sure the stigma would decrease.

KEEP THINGS SIMPLE!

RHF