LondonGirl wrote:
The only problem with Twinvir in the UK is that GPs & NHS like to know you’re getting licensed meds from a manufacturer they know should you want monitoring on the NHS.
Not true – or at least it does not correspond with my experience to date of the NHS. I was on 12 weeks Twinvir from 15 November 2015 to 6 February 2016 inclusive and have been monitored by the NHS throughout. My local NHS hospital did my VL tests at 4 weeks and 8 weeks into treatment, and at EOT. They have also said that they will do my VL monitoring at both 12 weeks and 24 weeks post-EOT – although they have refused to do a VL test at 4 weeks post-EOT.
This is precisely the same monitoring regime I would have been under had I been on the official brand Harvoni prescribed by the hospital itself – neither more nor less. I have also had LFTs done by my GP. At no point has anyone I have encountered in the NHS – GP, hepatology nurse or consultant – shown the slightest interest in whether I was on licensed on unlicensed generics.
I do recall that Alsdad had problems had problems getting NHS monitoring at his hospital (the Manchester Royal?) but I seem to recall that that was because of the especially ferocious anti-generic policy of that particular hospital and not because he was on unlicensed rather than licensed generics. I further recall that he did get some blood tests from his GP though.
The NHS is a very large organisation – as everyone in the UK knows, it is the third largest employer in the world after the Chnese army and the Indian railways – and it appears to be not entirely monolithic – different hospitals and GPs in different areas seem to follow slightly different policies – the postcode lottery.
Male Geno 1a F3-4 Tx Naive
Contracted early 1970s Diagnosed 2012
Started 12 wks TWINVIR (Sof/Led) on 15 Nov 2015
Pre-treatment VL 1.8 million
UND at 8 Dec 2015; UND at 12 Jan 2016
Ended 12 wks TWINVIR on 6 Feb 2016
9 Feb 2016 EOT VL test <15 PCR Negative
UND at 3 May 2016 SVR12
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