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Why I choose to help 8 years 3 months ago #19166

  • beaches
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mgalbrai wrote: I have no idea how a normal adult is supposed to feel, because I have been sick all my adult life.
I am now in the process of discovering how a "normal" 62.75 year old feels.
We will see....
m
SVR 24


So, so true, Mike
This shit of a disease impacts your attitudes, mind, body, emotions, spirit and anything else you can think of and you don't even know it.
But the amazing thing is, it gets reversed so quickly and suddenly you see life through new eyes.

Genotype 1a
Diagnosed in 2004, had HCV for all my adult life. Until 2016!!!!
Harvoni treatment, started 19 March 2016
4 week results Bilirubin 12 down from 14 pre treatment,
Gamma 25 down from 52, ALT 19 down from 63, AST 19 down from 47,
VL <15 down from a lazy 6 million or so

EOT Results
Bilirubin 10, GGT 18, ALT 19, AST 21, VL UND

12 Weeks post EOT
Bilirubin 11, GGT 16, ALT 22, AST 20, VL UND
Cured baby
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The following user(s) said Thank You: LondonGirl, mgalbrai, Ariel, Fara, cheese, fitz

Why I choose to help 8 years 3 months ago #19169

James-Freeman-facebook wrote: Back in February 2015 I met a patient with Hepatitis C who was looking to access Harvoni.

What followed was a journey of exploration looking first the India, then to the Middle East, and then to China.

The goal was pretty simple - find a reliable legal way to get the right medications to the right patients.

THANK SO MUCH DR JAMES FREEMAN FOR YOUR DILIGENCE & DETERMINATION .
You are changing this world one country at a time.
:+1: :+1: :+1:

Australian
Geno type 1a
Fibrosis 3-4
Treatment experienced Peg-Interferon Ribavirin (Relapsed)
Started 22/10/15 DAA's 24 weeks Sofosbuvir Ledisbovir & 12 weeks Ribavirin
Viral Load at week 4 <15 Detected
Viral Load at week 12 Undetected
Viral Load at week 24 Undetected
Viral Load SVR4 Undetected
Viral Load SVR12 Undetected
The following user(s) said Thank You: LondonGirl, mgalbrai, Ariel, Fara, cheese, fitz, Sven

Why I choose to help 7 years 10 months ago #22919

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  • Vindecat de HCV cu med. generice. Cured with generics HCV drugs.
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James-Freeman-facebook wrote: Back in February 2015 I met a patient with Hepatitis C who was looking to access Harvoni.

What followed was a journey of exploration looking first the India, then to the Middle East, and then to China.

The goal was pretty simple - find a reliable legal way to get the right medications to the right patients.

While on the surface it might seem as simple as doctor writes script, patient gets medication, and 12 weeks later they are cured, it's not quite that simple. I won't attempt to speak for any other doctors but my personal concerns included

  1. Is this legal? (YES)
  2. Am I allowed? (YES and NO)
  3. Are there any risks? (YES a truck load)
  4. What happens if something goes wrong? (SHTF)
  • Can I just ignore it and make it someone else's problem?



  • Looking at each of these in turn.

    In terms of simple legality I can as a GP write a script for just about anything (provided there is a valid medical reason). There is no doubt there is a valid reason to prescribe these medications - they work. A patient can legally import 12 weeks supply of a medication, provided it's not on the prohibited imports list (these medications are not), and provided they have a valid prescription a patient can possess these medications (like any other S4 or S8 medication - these are S4).

    So now we move to the subject of being allowed. The first part of this is really the question "Will the medical board strike me off the register for doing it?" The answer to this is probably closer to maybe than yes or no. Doing it with due care and informed patient consent it should be a no. Done without due care and we definitely get into a grey area. The second part is that to order a Hep C viral load, or a genotype (and have it bulk billed under Medicare) a specialist has to authorise that testing. This is a pretty big deal given each test costs $200. Fortunately I have consultant colleagues willing to authorise the testing.

    Now we get to the risks. These include things like:

    1. Do I know enough about these medications and their side effects to safely prescribe them? (Yes, I can look that up)
    2. How do I know the patient will actually get the right medications? (It's not like I'm sending them to a trusted pharmacy down the road)
    3. What if the patient does not reach SVR?
    4. Where does my implicit duty to treat end and my responsibility to do no harm begin?

    Although I've only treated a small group of patients to date the expected side effects and complications are already evident - headaches, anaemia, and treatment failure. I expected to see them all and they are being managed on a case by case basis.

    And then we get to the last question can I just ignore it? For me the answer was no, I would not be able to sleep at night knowing I could help, but chose not to..... Although for me the answer was no, I could not ignore it, I would not think any the less of a doctor who declined to be involved.

    This site is not the work of any one person. It represents the combined efforts of a group of interested people to help make accessing these life saving medications possible.


    Hello Dr. Freeman,

    I am very happy and thankful you did not ignore it! (I marked the text from your post :) )
    And this is not just because I got cured, but also because the knowledge you and all other forum members shared here on Fixhepc is crucial in the efforts being made to eradicate HCV.
    From my perspective, as former patient, I can say that HCV was a scary ghost not only because it was affecting my health, but also because of the fear "what if someone else, close to me, will become infected". This is a constant fear that almost all or many HCV patients have, like a parent living with the fear that the own child might get sick or someone fearing that the living partner or friends might get sick.
    Now we have the knowledge how to get treated with generics and this knowledge may be used and shared with others.

    Many thanks for all your efforts!

    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
    The following user(s) said Thank You: DrJames, coral, sabrecat, Ariel, Gaj, beaches, Hieupham, Fara, fitz, Donna, sumblues
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