Look, lots of interesting stuff but from within NZ, and Buyers Club, I'd like to say:
1) Prof. Ed Gane is an ally- not an enemy. The NZ Hep Foundation has been giving advice to people for over a month and anyone visiting any of their sites would have found their way here because of the prominence it has been given, from people who work there who care deeply about rapid access. If Prof Gane didn't approve of that, it would not stay up. It has. This is much better govt sponsored access to information than other countries have experienced. He said anyone who couldn't wait should look at generics, and directly congratulated Dr Freeman. In voicing his concerns, on RNZ, it gives him, as an advisor, more leverage when advising Pharmac to fund DAA's and get the best price. It is perhaps the unequal weight he gave to his concerns, rather than congratulations that has concerned people. Being interviewed live is difficult and it is easy to repeat one's important messages.
2) I too always want to know where the money comes and goes from, but it is, as noted, not possible for him to responsibly fill his position without running drug company sponsored trials.
3) Dr Freeman soaks up an enormous amount of pressure from all sides on our behalf, which isn't going to let up until the SVRs roll in. I don't think we should add to it- by showing our full confidence in him to manage the testing, the media, the medical support, trials, and everything else. This thread puts further pressure on him, to defend or respond- another burden he doesn't need from us. He has answered all of these things before, and speaks highly of Ed Gane in another thread.
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